Too Far
by KitoH
Summary: Jackson Overland Frost. The handsomest boy with a smile that makes girls swoon. What people don't know is that he's lonely. The Big Four have been bullying him for years and when he tries to end his life, they find him. Realizing their mistake, they try to earn his trust but he doesn't make it easy. Pitch Black sees this and decides it's finally time (High School AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to Mozarts's Fantasy for helping me with this. I owe this all too you:D**

 **Please Review!**

* * *

Jack opened his eyes and looked at the ancient town clock.

08:47.

"Wait! What!?" He shot out of the old blankets he had been laying in and ran down the field towards the river, taking his few possessions with him. "I'm late. I'm late. I'm late!" He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth in record time and wasted no time, pulling his hoodie over his bare chest. He looked to the town clock and saw it read 08:52. If he wanted to catch the bus, he had to get going stat.

He pushed the toothpaste, toothbrush and tattered blankets into a small pocket inside the bag. He pulled out a wallet from the same pocket. It was the one of three things he owned that looked remotely new. His eyes watered as he stared at the silver coloured snowflake. It had been a week but it was just as painful as the day he found out.

* * *

 _He walked quickly, hoping those four wouldn't come looking for him. Their bullying had got worst but as long as he didn't have to see them outside of school, he was fine. The house came into view and smile appeared on his face. His parents would be back with Flee in half an hour. He pulled his keys out of the pocket in the brand new hoodie his mother had gifted him the day before. It went well with his unusual snow coloured hair._

 _They jingled merrily, as he twisted them in the lock. He pulled them out again and opened the door. He went inside and chucked his old bag on the table. He was going to get a new one this weekend. He pulled his phone out and turned on some music. Troublemaker by Olly Murs played. Jack's favourite. He hummed along as he grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. He was in a good mood; his 18th birthday was in 2 weeks. The house phone rang from the hall. Jack left his phone playing and bit into his apple before answering._

 _"Hello?"_

 _An official sounding voice answered with their own question. "Is this Jackson Frost?"_

 _He wondered why someone so important had to speak to him. "That's me."_

 _"We have some unfortunate news for you. Your parents and sister have been murdered."_

 _The apple fell from his hand as heard this. "W-what?"_

 _"Can you please confir-" Jack ended the call and put the phone down._

 _"They're dead?!" He whispered, unable to believe it. The phone rang again but he ignored it. He ran into the living room and switched the TV on to a news channel._

 _"..3 killed in this shooting. The police are at the sce-" he quickly turned the TV off and ran upstairs. He had to get out of here. He felt the walls closing in on him. He ran upstairs into his parents room and saw a parcel on the bedside table. 'To Jackson. Happy Birthday, Love from Pa.' He carefully tore the paper off the package and saw a dark blue wallet with a silver snowflake engraved in the front. Jack realised the snowflake resembled his own unique signature. If he looked closely. He could make out the JF hidden in it. He traced the snowflake with his finger before he decided to venture into Flee's room._

 _He opened the door and saw a lump under the otherwise neat blankets. Pulling back the blankets he saw another small parcel with a hand made card next to it. The card had a picture of Flee and Jack, making a snowman, drawn on it. Opening the card he looked at the small poem inside._

 _'Shocking white hair,_

 _Ice blue eyes._

 _I hope you like this birthday surprise._

 _Hugs like a bear,_

 _Acts like a kid._

 _You're the best big brother there is!_

 _Happy Birthday, Jack!_

 _Love, Flee. XXX'_

 _He felt sadness fill him up as he began to realise he would never hear her poem from her mouth. He quickly turned his attention to the package and opened it. Inside there was a gold locket shaped like a heart, again with the silver snowflake engraved. He opened it gently and saw a picture of himself and Flee grinning happily, their hair full of snow, though it was less noticeable against Jack's white hair. This had been on Flee's birthday. Jack had organised a whole town snowball fight and they had taken the selfie immediately after._

 _Jack pulled it over his head and closed it. He shoved the wallet into his hoodie pocket, the last thing he had from his mother. He heard Troublemaker floating up from his phone in the kitchen. He knew he would never be able to listen to it again without breaking down. He ran downstairs and turned the music off. He shoved the phone in his pocket with the wallet, which he had discovered had $100 in it. He opened the door, only to come face to face with strange man, dressed in white, with triangular spectacles._

 _"Jackson Frost, I presume?"_

* * *

The sound of a horn honking pulled Jack out of his memories, and the albino realised it was the school bus arriving for the final pickup before it headed to the school. He quickly zipped up his bag and placed a kiss on the locket around his neck, before racing off.

He arrived at the bus station, just before the bus left, panting and sweaty. He used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead before he got in the bus. Near the front of the bus were a group of girls giggling. He strode past them, flashing a smile which made them swoon and one faint. He walked past the middle of the bus, losing his confidence a touch and keeping his eye to the ground as he passed the group, well known in the school as The Big Four.

These four had bullied Jack for years and Jack had learned sometimes it was wiser to face them and sometimes wiser to flee. That last word caught in his throat. 'Flee.' His baby sister. If she saw him accepting this abuse so easily, she would give him a telling off that would make the fearless people cower in fear.

He chanced a glance and saw all four of them there.

There was Annaliese Alacer. She was the only female in the group and was a beautiful young Asian woman who always wore vibrant colours that usually consisted of blue, green and yellow. Her brown hair had highlights of those same three colours on her fringe. She always wore golden jewellery which added to her beauty. Her amethyst eyes sparkled like diamonds and expressed her everlasting interest and excitement.

Next to her was a short man. His hair was a golden blonde and he always wore an jacket of the same dazzling colour. He was a mute named Sanderson Mansnoozie. Despite him not being able to talk, he always wrote/signed incredibly quickly when he became excited. Currently however, he was snoozing lightly.

There were two young men across from them, having an argument that Jack recognised to be their usual one.

Nicholas St. North was the Russian man in red. He wore a big bulking coat, edged with black furs. He wore a hat of the same fur. He was around 5"9. His eyes sparkled blue and stood out because of his brown hair and beard.

The last one, the one Jack held the most resentment towards was E. Aster Bunnymund, or as Jack called him, the Kangaroo. Jack had named him as such due to the fact that he was Aussie and he had an Australian accent to match. He wore a sleeveless fur coat and fur bracers around his arms, exposing the bulking muscular upper arms. His upper arms had strange tattoos which he said was his family symbol. They were also on the back of his hands. His grey hair complimented his green eyes well. He was 6"1, the tallest of the group, and was so good at martial arts that people would of thought he created them in the first place. He was the second hottest guy in the school, according to girls, behind Jack, who held first place.

As Jack was walking down the aisle of the the bus, Aster stuck his foot out, which Jack had to quickly jump over before he tripped. He heard the laughter of the four follow him to his seat right at the back of the bus. He leaned his head against the window and let a tear travel down his cheek.

It was going to be the hardest day since they died, he knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

They were almost at the school when Jack felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and groaned when he recognised the number on the screen. He pressed answer and put it to his ear.

"Why are you even bothering?" Asked Jack immediately asked, not bothering with greetings.

* * *

 _"Jackson Frost, I presume?"_

 _Without waiting for Jack to confirm or deny this statment, he walked inside. Jack quickly followed him, not wanting to leave the man in what was now his house._

 _"Who are you?" He asked before he could stop himself._

 _The man looked at him over his silver spectacles. "I am Mr. InMoon, but you may call me Manny."_

 _'Manny InMoon.' Thought Jack. 'It sounds like Man In Moon. He certainly looks the part.' Added Jack mentally as he eyed Manny's white clothing._

 _"I'm sure you are aware of the death of the rest of your family by now." Jack felt a pang of sadness. "Your parents left the house and anything else they owned in your name, however you are not yet 18, meaning you cannot fulfill their will as of now."_

 _"I'm 18 in 2 weeks, it's not long!" Snarled Jack, upset that this man decided he couldn't complete his parents' last wishes because he was too young._

 _"Yes, but you are not 18 now, are you?" Asked Manny calmly, ignoring the rude tone that Jack had used._ _Jack kept quiet as Manny continued his explanation. "Until you become an adult, I have organised for you too stay in the local orphanage an-"_

 _"W..what?" Spluttered Jack. "I am NOT staying in that excuse for a building. There is nothing you can do to make me."_

 _The white clad man frowned. "Now, Jack, don't say anything unreasonable. It's only until your 18th birthday."_

 _"Don't care. I'm leaving. I'll fend for myself and the moment I can, I am taking back my house." He chucked his keys at the man and stalked out, ignoring the shouts from Manny._

 _Jack went to the store and bought a small amount of blankets, a toothbrush and toothpaste. He had school most days so he didn't need much. He would charge his phone at school and he would eat there as well. He went out to the river as the situation settled in._

 _He was alone._

 _His Pa was_ _dead._

 _His Ma was dead._

 _His little sister was dead._

 _He was alone._

 _Finally, he screamed and cried for his dead family. The ache and pain filled his heart entirely and once the tears began to fall and the screams came from his mouth, he found he couldn't stop._

 _He was alone._

* * *

Since he had left his home a week ago, Jack had received several calls from Manny who tried to persuade him to take up the offer to stay in the orphanage. And everytime he had refused.

He waited as he heard the sigh come from Manny on the otherside of the phone. "Jack, you can't live on the streets. It's not safe."

"Wanna bet!?" Snapped Jack as the bus screeched to a halt. He let everyone else get off before he got off himself. He walked through the the yard, towards the school. "I've done it for a week now, what's to say I can't do it for another one?"

"Look, if you don't want to go to the orphanage, why don't you stay at a friend's place?"

The suggestion made Jack give a sharp bark of laughter. "Didn't you know? I have no friends here. My only friend was my sister but I can't see her anymore." Jack could tell he was pushing it. There was silence for a moment and Jack saw that Manny ended the call. He put his phone away and walked to class.

Bad idea.

The Big Four were the only ones in the classroom. He snuck to his seat at the back of the class and watched them, thinking. All four of them were orphans. They had all met at the orphanage and quickly became friends. They were all 18, their birthdays at the beginning of the academic year. Jack knew that they had bought a house near his own family house and lived there together. The thought that they became friends in the orphanage stuck in his head.

'No. There is no way I'm going to even set foot in that filthy hovel.'

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Aster who was staring at Jack, smug.

"What do you want?" Jack asked, his voice tired.

"Just wondering if ya actually have any other clothes. Ya've been wearing the same thing for over a week now." There was no concern in his voice. He was just trying to get a rise out of Jack. However, unlike normal where he would make a snarky comment, Jack just shrugged and fingered the locket around his neck.

Class began and Aster frequently found himself turning to look at the albino, for what reason, he didn't know. He relayed his short conversation to his friends but they just shrugged it off, believing that the teen was just being moody today.

By break, Aster had forgotten about their conversation and the four were back to bullying him.

They found him in the library, charging his phone.

"No charging phones in school." Stated North, pulling the charger off and holding the phone out of Jack's reach, gesturing to a sign nearby stating just that.

"Give in back, North. I can't charge it at home." Jack said, jumping for his device.

Sandy signed something to Annaliese which made her laugh. "You're probably right Sandy. His parents probably don't want his to add to their problems."

Jack stopped jumping and stared at Annaliese and Sandy, unable to believe their words/signs. "What?"

"Ya heard them, Frost. Yar parents don't want ya to annoy them by calling them or something along those lines. That's why ya ain't allowed to charge yar phone at home."

"I heard Flee wished she was only child. Thinks you're annoying." Added North.

Water made it's way to Jack's eyes. "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! You don't understand anything!" He ran off without his bag and his phone leaving the Big Four worried.

"Something's up!" Said Annaliese. She grabbed Jack's stuff and ran off, trying to follow the younger boy. The three men followed her quickly. They saw Jack getting smaller and smaller as he got further away. He left the school building. Left the school grounds. The four ran after him, ignoring the shouts of the teachers.

They followed Jack into the forest and watched from behind a group of trees that were bunched close together. Jack was at the edge of one of the lakes that resided in the forest, basically wailing.

"I'm sorry, Ma!" Jack hiccupped, looking like a lost child. "I'm sorry, Pa. I'm really sorry, Flee. But I've had enough! They're unbearable! I can't even find comfort in you anymore. There's no point in me being here. They told me you didn't love me and I think they're right. If you did love me, why didn't you stay with me? Bloody Manny keeps trying to get me to either go to the orphanage or a 'friends place.'" Jack scoffed. "That last one's impossible. The Big Four keep spreading rumours about me and the only attention I get is the girls fainting when I smile at them. But I can't smile anymore! I can't fight anymore! I can't live anymore!" He pulled off his hoodie, locket and got the wallet out. Using his bear hands, Jack dug a hole and shoved the items in. He covered them with the dug up dirt regretfully, mumbling to himself about 'protecting them'. "Please forgive me." He whispered as he began to wade through the lake, going deeper and deeper. He didn't hold his breath as his face was submerged.

Annaliese, Sandy, North and Aster waited. A second. 10 seconds. 30 seconds. 1 minute.

"He's not coming up!" Shouted North. They scrambled to the lake and Sanderson stuck his head under the water, seeing the boy float deeper and deeper, not even twitching. He pulled his head out and quickly signed this to the others. Without another thought, Aster pulled off his coat and furry bracers. He backed up and then ran, jumping into the water with a gigantic splash. He opened his eyes and his green eyes spotted the albino instantly. He grabbed the boy and held him to his chest. He tried to swim upwards but the freezing water was numbing his body. He tried to shout for help but then quickly remembered he was underwater.

He felt himself start to sink when a strong pair of hands grabbed one of his arms. Aster held Jack in his other arm tightly as North yanked him up. He landed on the ground with a shivering Jackson Overland Frost on top of him.


	3. Chapter 3

He opened his eyes, listening to everything around him, half of it not registering in his mind.

"...streets for a week..."

"...not shocking really..."

"...thought he had a home.."

"...died a week ago..."

"...at school was told..."

"...idea if you agree..."

"Shh! He's awake."

Jack groaned, realising his attempt to end his life had failed. He sat up and looked around. He was in a hospital, that much was obvious. There were several occupants around his bed. When he caught sight of the first one, he felt a strong urge to smash his head against the wall several hundred times. Why was Manny here!?

Ignoring the man for now, he felt his stomach sink as recognised the other 4 people. The Big Four.

"What are you all doing here?" His question mostly directed at the four bullies.

"Jack. Behave."

Jack's attention snapped back to Manny. "Do not scold me like a child!" Jack growled, animalisticly. His ice blue eyes darkened and flashed dangerously. The look on his face was enough to make Annaliese back up, slightly.

Manny wasn't going to give up so easily this time. "No Jack! This has gone out of hand. You need to stay somewhere safe and you need to be monitored. After that little suicide attempt of yours, we can't trust you to be by yourself."

"Well, I've told you many times. I'm not staying in that bloody orphanage."

"You're not going to." This surprised Jack. The old man wasn't going to send him to the orphanage. "You're going to be staying with these four." Manny said, indicating at the Big Four.

Jack blinked then laughed. The four in question were...surprised to say the least. He was laughing?

"I'm serious." Added Manny. The laughter vanished and was quickly replaced with outrage.

"Oh no. Nonononono! No! Is there...is there wrong with you old man? I think you've finally lost it. If you believe for a second that.."

"You don't have a choice." Manny said, refusing to take no for an answer.

Jack laughed humourlessly. "When you told me I was to stay at the orphanage, I'm pretty sure I never had a choice then."

"This time, if you fail to heed me, we will sell your home."

Manny smirked mentally at Jack's reaction. "You wouldn't dare." Jack whispered.

Manny shrugged. "It wouldn't be that hard to convince everyone you're in no fit state to keep it. You did try and kill yourself. So you can stay with these four for a week and then get your home back or you can go back to the streets but have no home to go to once you hit 18."

"This is low, Manny." Jack said.

"If keeping you safe is low then yes." Manny replied.

Jack pointed at them and shouted. "How!? How is leaving me with ...with _them_ going to keep me safe! I think it would be a good idea to tell you that these four, were the reason for my 'little suicide attempt' as you referred to it as! I will not stay with them! Not for a second, let alone another week!" He panted, still too unwell to be having hissy fits.

"Well it's entirely up to you. You can either lose your home due to your stubbornness or you could just put your feelings aside until your birthday. I'll let you lot talk it over." Manny turned to leave.

"You know what!?" Manny looked back at Jack. "I liked you better as the old doddering doormat. I felt less likely to kill you then."

"I'm sure you did." Manny left and Jack immediately remembered that The Big Four were in the room.

"Sooo.." North began slightly uncertain. "Introductions!"

Jack shook his head, "You don't need to introduce yourselves. You're Nicholas St. North, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Annaliese Alacer and E. Aster Bunnymund. The four reasons I wish my suicide attempt worked. But I'll introduce myself. I'm Jackson Overland Frost. Newly orphaned 17 year old that hates your guts because you torment me to no end."

"Ouch." Mouthed Sandy.

Jack looked at all of them, his gaze full of distrust. His critical eye noticed that Aster was covered in blankets, sitting in a chair, sipping hot cocoa. "What happened to you?"

Annaliese got annoyed at the tone Jack was using. "You should be a little grateful, _Frost_. Poor Aster jumped in the lake to _save_ you. You may not be suffering much, but the cold hit him hard."

"Polite reminder, _Alacer_. I didn't ask to be saved. I _wanted_ to die. I don't have any reason to live. Also, out of interest, how does it not affect me?"

Annaliese huffed at his back talk, but told him. "You've been living on the streets for a week so your body got used to the cold."

Sandy caught Jack's attention and signed something at the albino. Jack replied with a confused look. He tapped North and got the Russian to translate. "Sandy is asking 'why did you not tell anyone of family's death?'"

Jack looked down at the blankets, knowing he had the attention of all of the others focused on him. "None of your business." He answered shortly.

"That ain't an answer, Frost. If yar gonna stay with us, ya have to tell us tha truth." Jack looked up and glared at Aster.

Not breaking eye contact, he replied. "I'm being forced to stay with you fools and now I'm also being forced to tell my secrets. Tell me. Will I ever be able to make my own decisions? Hmm? Or will I forever be your faithful little puppet? Forever granting your wishes with just a little pull of my strings?"

Sandy shivered at the boy's way with words. Those words crawled under his skin and implanted themselves in his brain. Only one other person Sandy knew had such a way with words.

"That isn't answering the question." Said North.

"I didn't want anyone to know my family died!" Everyone flinched at his outburst. "If they did, they'd say 'I'm sorry for your loss' or 'I know it must hurt' but no one understands what it's like to be a mostly happy kid one moment then a mourning son and brother the next! No one understands how much courage it takes me to open my eyes and come to school, knowing that I'll be tormented by you lot for reasons unknown! No one understands what it's like to be me! No one ever had. No one ever does! No one ever will!" Jack looked down and whispered. "Get out."

Annaliese made to protest but was cut off by the albino. "I said. Get. Out!" They left and Jack crumpled in the hospital bed. His sobs shook his frame.

"Jackson Overland Frost?"


	4. Chapter 4

**News! I now have a YouTube account where I will post Rise of the Guardians music videos and some stuff to do with my fics. My username is Cherry Winters. I've already posted two. The song for the first is On Top Of The World by Greek Fire. Just** **search 'on top of the world Jack Frost' in YouTube.**

 **The song for the second is Monster. Just search 'Pitch Black monster cherry winters' and it should be the first one.**

 **If you have time, check it out!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Yellowmiki98: I hope it gets even better;)**

 **Sofie Rose: No. He really won't. Pitch definitely won't help things.**

 **CoCo: O.O indeed.**

 **Picasso Penguin: You do that!:)**

 **Layla206: You'll just have to see how things play out, won't you?XD**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Jack looked up at the dark figure standing against the doorframe.

"Pitch Black?"

The figure moved from the shadows and stepped into the light. It was a tall, lithe and dark young man with an angular face. His skin was an eclipse grey. He wore black robe like clothing that went down to his feet. When he walked he was graceful and it looked like he a floating or gliding across the floor. It was Pitch Black. He was a scary individual. He like to scare people and even went as far as to find out their fears to use against them. It was what helped him dominate the school. If he was walking in the crowded halls, it would be a live replay of the Parting of the Red Sea. No one deliberately got in his way or annoyed him. If they did, he would scare them so much, they wouldn't be able to speak for a week.

Well, that was the case up until a few years ago. When the Big Four gathered the courage to confront him. No one knew what had happened but after it, the Big Four were known all over the school and Pitch had mostly been forgotten.

"Why are you here?" Asked Jack, rubbing the tears away quickly. If there was one person he didn't want to see him crying it was Pitch.

"I heard everything." Pitch said simply.

"And?" Prompted Jack, wondering why Pitch was talking to him.

"I was just wondering if you're being forced to spend _all_ of your time with those weirdoes." His amber eyes, gazed deeply into Jack's icey blue ones, trapping Jack's attention.

Jack didn't want to tell Pitch but the look on Pitch's face indicated that it would be wiser to tell him. "I don't think so." He said, hesitant.

Pitch nodded and opened his mouth to speak when he was spun around by North. The other three stood behind the Russian. "What are you doing here, Pitch?"

"Why, can I not wish my classmate a speedy recovery?" Drawled Pitch in question. He turned to Jack and patted the albino on the shoulder before he left without another word.

"What was he telling you!?" Demanded Annaliese. "What did ask!?"

"Can you shut up for 2 seconds?" Snapped Jack. "He was doing as he said. Wishing me a speedy recovery. Not that it's any of your business."

North sighed and began to pick up the things around the hospital bed, such as the snacks. "Come. Time to go, ho-"

"Don't say it!" Hissed Jack. "That is _not_ my home and never will be." He got of bed and put his hand to his neck, where his locket usually was. It took a second for him to realise that it wasn't on his neck. Jack remembered, with wide eyes, that he had left the locket as well as his hoodie and wallet at the lake. He made to leave for the special items when his school bag was thrusted in his arms by Sanderson. He peered inside and exhaled softly when he saw the three things in his bag. He slipped his hoodie and locket on, the wallet being pushed into his pocket. He pulled the hood up to shield himself from everyone else and saw a note fall. He snatched it and opened it, making sure the others weren't looking. Once he was sure they were too busy, chattering and packing, he read the note.

' _Tomorrow._

 _8:00._

 _School Library._

 _Don't be late. We have important matters to discuss. Don't let those idiots come with you._

 _PB.'_

Jack snorted at the word 'idiot' as well as the note in general. When had Pitch managed to get it in the hood? He folded the note and tucked it in his wallet. He spun around and saw the Big Four closing the bags.

"Let's go." The Russian lead them down to the car park and escorted them to a red jeep, covered in Christmas themed stickers. When Aster saw it, his eyes widened.

"Umm. Ya know what, mate. I could do with fresh air. Imma walk back. Anyone coming with?" North scoffed. If Aster wasn't suffering from the shivers, he would of grabbed the back of his furry coat and would have chucked the taller male in. But since Aster wasn't so well, he didn't. Just this once.

"I will." Jack stepped forward and looked at the jeep with distain. "If I'm going to die, I'm not going to in that monsterousity." North shrugged, deciding it was better to leave the boy alone.

"We'll see you there!" Called North as the other three drove away.

Aster started walking with Jack next to him. He looked at the younger closely. He had his face shadowed by his hood. They walked through the woods, as a short cut. Aster noticed Jack slow down slightly and his figure tensed. Then the Aussie realised that this was the forest that held the lake he attempted to kill himself in. Thinking quickly, he felt his pockets and found a few dollars.

"Hey, Frost? Can we head to the shop a minute?"

Jack shrugged and followed silently as they changes their course. However, Aster noticed Jack's figure slump in relief.

They arrived at the corner store and they walked in. Aster picked up a packet of cookies for North, some dark chocolate chocolates for Annaliese, gummy bears for Sandy and strawberry laces for himself. He noticed Jack's raised eyebrow. "For the others as well. Not just me." They stood there quietly before Aster asked, "Did ya want somethin'?"

Jack scrunched his face up in what seemed like disgust. "If I wanted something, I would get it myself. Just because I've become an orphan, doesn't mean I need your sympathy and pity."

This ruffled the Australian. "I was askin' politely! Ya didn't need ta be so snarky. Can ya not talk civilly?"

Jack turned around and said, "Not to you." Before he left the store. Aster payed for his items and ran out. He found the albino outside the shop. He was looking at the picture in the locket on his neck. A tear began to travel down his cheek but he brushed it away. He noticed Aster. "Hurry up." He said, bitterness flooding his voice. "The faster this whole thing is over, the faster I get away from you lot." He stalked off, Aster behind him.

"Spoilt brat." Mumbled the Aussie. "Can't even thank me for risking ma life fur him." He continued quietly enough so Jack couldn't hear him.

 _"I didn't ask to be saved. I wanted to die. I don't have any reason to live..." _Try as he might, Aster could not shake those three sentences from his memory.

If Jack had felt that way before, what would happen to him while he stayed with his enemies?


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally finished this chapter. It's not actually a filler even though it seems like that. It's got important details on the plot hidden in it!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Layla206: Who can?**

 **Sofie Rose: (I know, I figured it out.) you'll find out why he hates them soon;D**

 **yellowmiki98: it keeps you reading does it not? ;)**

 **Picasso Penguin: I said its robe like. There will be more on it next chapter. And since when did Pitch help any situation? It follows the movie in a sense, but there are a few twists due to them being human. This chapter may lift your hopes! And don't worry! I'm still trying to work out how he did it, and I wrote it!:D**

 **Please review because this took time to write. My great uncle died this weekend, so I've been feeling my depression get a bit worse. :( It would make me feel better to hear what you think of this.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

They walked without another word.

Jack's hood was up the whole time, shadowing his face from the Australian.

'I should've went with the Russian earlier.' Thought Jack regretfully. 'It would've been better than what just happened at the shop.'

"We're here." Jack didn't notice Aster had stopped and walked right into the older male. Aster turned and raised an eyebrow. Jack avoided eye contact and instead focused on the building in front of him.

It looked like it had 3 stories and it was surrounded by all the flowers and plants that could possibly grow in the country. Next to it, was a large garage, the door was covered with the same Christmas themed stickers as the jeep was. Said vehicle was parked in front of the crimson garage door. There was a sign on the front door of the house that said, ' _The Warren.'_

"That's what this place is called?" Asked Jack indecorously.

"Yep. Gotta problem with that?"

They fell silent as they journeyed through all of the bushes and flowers. No matter how much Jack hated the Big Four, he couldn't bring himself to destroy such beauty.

Just before they got to the front door, it burst open to reveal North. "What took so long?" Cried the Russian, moving aside so the two could enter. Jack had to cover his eyes as he entered a brightly painted hallway. When his eyes adjusted to the sudden blast of colour, he looked around. There were a few pictures of the Four as they grew up, littering the walls. There was one that made Jack's heart clench in sadness. In the picture was Aster handing an Easter egg to a little girl. But that was no normal little girl.

That was Flee.

She looked much younger, as did the Australian. This must of been taken a good few years ago. He longed to reach out into the picture and pull that shining face from its prison behind the glass. But he quickly remembered his company and peered into what looked like the living room. It was a simple room, with a few couches, a coffee table and a TV situated in the corner.

"Come! I will show the rest!" Declared North as he began to ascend the stairs. Jack was hesitant to follow but he swallowed his pride for just a moment and went after his tour guide. "This is mine and Aster's room." Stated North as he pushed open the first door. Jack's eyes immediately caught the large differences in each half of the room. One half, had stuff scattered EVERYWHERE. Books, tools, paper, clothes, all littered the left hand side. The walls were were red and the lamp on the bedside table was shaped like a candy cane.

The other half was almost its polar opposite. The walls were a mixture of greens swirled together. Everything was organised and tidy. All the books on their shelves, clothes hanging in the cupboard. On the bedside table, a Easter egg shaped lamp sat proudly next to a bunch of paints.

North closed the door and began walking upstairs. On their way to the next set of stairs they passes a door which must of been a bathroom. The top floor had 3 doors.

"This is Sandy's room." North gestured at the door and there was a sign on it that read, ' _Sanderson's Island_.' They were met with a blast of gold. The walls were covered with a giant map of the world, notes hanging from different countries written in golden cursive. His bed sat in the middle. Everything, while not exactly tidy, was disorganised. The desk had lots of papers at the side and pens and pencils at the other. Sandy was sitting at the desk, writing another note. He stuck it over Italy with a golden pin. He noticed North and Jack in the doorway and sent a friendly wave at the 2. Jack scowled and looked away. At the inquiring look from Sandy, North just shrugged before he closed the door, letting the shorter male get back to work.

The next room was not Annaliese's room as Jack had initially thought. There was a sign on this door as well. It said, ' _The Palace._ ' Jack wondered what on Earth was behind the door. What he saw when the door was opened, was different than what he expected. There were shelves edging every wall of the room. Each section in each shelf, held funny shaped boxes, some having faces stuck on the ends, some not. There was a large worktop in the middle where Annaliese was busy making another box which matched the others. She looked up and pushed her coloured bangs from her line of sight.

"Hey North!" She then saw Jack and they glared at each other. "Frost."

"Alacer."

North gulped at the tension building up between the two and quickly pulled Jack away, letting Annaliese get back to what she was doing. He opened the next door and Jack instantly saw that this was Annaliese room. Each wall was a different colour. One was pale green, one baby blue, one a yellowish lime and the last a shimmering purple. Her room was cluttered with random bits and pieces scattered around.

"Is that it?" Questioned Jack, wanting to get away from the red clad Cossack as soon as possible.

"Of course not!" Exclaimed North as if it were obvious. "You haven't seen the best part! Or Aster's work area."

Jack held back a groan as they walked down to the bottom floor of the house. They went through the living room into what probably used to be a dining room. Now however, it had paints over desks with lots of moulds sitting at the side. "This is where Aster works. Now come, I have to show you best part." They left the room and walked into the kitchen, where Aster was busy putting something in the oven.

"The best part is the kitchen?" Deadpanned Jack. If this was the Russian's idea of a joke, it wasn't very funny.

"Don't be silly, it is here." He opened the back door and indicated at the garage. They walked to the front of the garage and Jack noticed another sign reading, ' _The Workshop_.'

'Do they name everything?' Asked Jack silently to himself.

North pulled the door open and Jack couldn't help but be taken in by the sight. The old musty garage had been changed into a magnificent workplace. Sketches of toys were pinned randomly around the room, some having more then one picture of the same thing. There were shelves at the side full of material such as cogs and screws, wood and plastic. There was a desk in the middle, covered in an array of different tools, some as large as Jack's head and others as small as his pinky. The floor held many toys like toy cars and toy trains, which would occasionally give a puff of smoke. Hanging from the ceiling were toy airplanes and toy helicopters in bold colours. Jack's couldn't help looking at the room in slight awe, before he remembered North was there. Thankfully, his hood was still up so the Cossack didn't see Jack's look of intrest. He pulled his hood down and made a face which screamed boredom.

North looked slightly upset at him and Jack didn't understand why he felt guilt welling up inside him. He hated North! Just like he hated Annaliese, and Aster and Sanderson!

So why did he feel like he betrayed a friend?

* * *

It was Dinner time.

"Homemade fish 'nd chips, courtesy of me." Said Aster with a hint of smugness hidden in his voice. North grumbled and reluctantly handed over a 10 dollar bill. Jack realised they must of made a bet.

Everyone ate quickly, except for Jack who merely just pushed the food around the plate. He wasn't hungry and even if he was, he wasn't going to eat the food they made. When everyone finished, Jack quickly got up and shoved his uneaten food into the bin before anyone could notice. He washed his plate and fork then headed to the living room, in search of his bag. He found it and he pulled the toothbrush and toothpaste out. He ran up to the bathroom and ran the brush over his already pristine white teeth. Jack finished and went down to find North and Aster pushing the fronts of the two largest sofas together, creating a bed like area.

"Yar gonna hafta sleep here fur now, Frost. We can get ya a mattress or somethin' tomorrow."

"You don't need to waste time, money or effort on me." Said Jack coldly. "Just pretend I'm not here and I'll pretend I'm not being to forced to live in Hell for a week."

Sandy came in and stuck a few blankets at the end of the makeshift bed. He signed something to Aster who replied, "Yar right mate. Time ta hit tha hay!" The three members of the Big Four left and Jack sighed in relief.

"Finally, alone." He lay down on the 'bed' and looked towards the ceiling, straining to remember the happier moments of his life. It seemed so long ago. He thought about the unfair deal that got him stuck with his enemies. He thought about what Pitch wanted to talk about. He thought about the little bit of guilt he had felt earlier when he saw North's disappointed face. These things slowly vanished from thought as he fell into slumbers embrace.

A figure appeared at the door frame when his breathing had slowed. It walked up to him and pulled the blankets over the white haired boy.

"Oh, Jack." Whispered Annaliese remorsefully. "If only you remembered." She planted a soft kiss on his forehead before leaving, looking back with sad amythest eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Since I frustrated a lot of you with the cliffhanger, I made this chapter longer than normal. Hope you guys appreciate it!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Yellowmiki98: Where's the fun in telling you? :) yeah when I originally added it in, the wifi wasn't working so it never saved. I've written it in. It's a lamp.**

 **Sofie Rose: if I didn't do it, I would be a bad author.:D**

 **Layla206: I can't just tell you! That would be too easy! He wasn't purpose being nice, he couldn't help it. The school they go to is fully non-uniform. Obviously they can't wear anything inappropriate but arm bracers are allowed. And just to let you know, HE'S BAAACK!;)**

 **EriTheBear: I couldn't help myself! You love this! You only hate the fact you have to wait for the next chapter:D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"Jack!" Cried the girl again._

 _He turned and saw cracks begin to form underneath her. "Hang on." He pulled his skate off and put it aside next to the other one. He kneeled down and faced the girl. His eyes never moved from her face, taking in every emotion and expression that passed over it. "It's okay, it's okay!" He found himself saying. His voice was calm and gentle, hoping she would understand she was fine. He stuck his hand out and brought it to his chest as he said, "Don't look down, just look at me."_

 _She looked away from the ice which was cracking underneath her and instead looked at him hesitantly, trying to not give in to the urge to look down. Her eyes were locked with his and showed massive amounts of fear and terror within them. "Jack," she said, her voice wavering a bit._ _"I'm scared." She whimpered as the ice made another large cracking sound._

* * *

Jack shot up, gasping. He was covered in a cold sweat. The blankets flew to the ground as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming of.

There was cracking ice.

Someone calling for him.

They were scared.

He tried and tried to remember what had happened but with every second he thought, the details slipped away until he could only remember someone calling his name.

Jack gave up trying to remember as he got out of his makeshift bed. He realised the blankets were on the floor. "That's odd." He mumbled. "I don't remember even touching them." Jack looked towards the clock that was ticking on the wall and saw it was 4:26. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep. He wouldn't be able to if he tried. Jack knew that. He chucked the blankets up onto the two joint sofas and decided he needed fresh air. He pulled his bag over his back and was about to leave when he reluctantly decided to leave a note. He didn't want them from restricting him from going out by himself. At the moment he needed all the freedom he could get.

' _Going out. Will be back by 7:30._

 _JF'_

He nodded in satisfaction as he re-read the note. Perfect. Not too much detail, but not too little either.

He left the odd house and made his way down the street towards the forest. After a while he reached the lake. The one he had tried to kill himself in. The urge to attempt to drown himself again was strongly tempting. No one was around to get him out this time. He shook his head as if trying to shake the idea away. He couldn't. Not yet anyway.

When the urge became extremely overwhelming, he walked out of the forest and towards the corner store he had visited with Aster. He went inside and using a bit of his money, he bought an apple, some sandwiches and a bottle of water. The latter two were promptly put in his bag for lunch. He went back to the edge of the forest and climbed one of the sturdier trees. He crawled along a thick branch and hooking his legs around it, he dangled upside down. He bit into the apple, trying not to think about the fact that he was eating an apple when he recieved news of his family's fate.

When he finished it, he swung back and forth, throwing the core into the nearby bin.

It was a nice change to be outside and mucking around slightly like he used to. He had almost forgotten the meaning of fun. He sighed, content with staying like that for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes and felt his eye lids become too heavy to open. Jack decided to just rest his eyes for a bit.

A while later, he came crashing down onto the ground. He must of fallen asleep. Groaning and rubbing his sore head, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. His eyes opened comically wide when he saw it was 7:22. He would never get back on foot in time. It was a half an hour walk. He looked up to the tree he was hanging in up until a moment ago. An idea formed in his head.

Was it stupid?

Yes.

Was it dangerous?

Yes.

Was he going to do it?

...

Yes.

Making sure his bag was closed tightly, he scrambled up the tree. He got near the top and found what he was looking for.

Ropes, tied to the branches of several trees in a straight line. It lead directly to a street not far from the Big Four's home. Some kids had made it a while back but had all been to scared to try it. They had left it there and no one was bothered to remove the ropes.

Jack grabbed the first one and took a tentive step backwards. He took a deep breath and leaped. He gave a short scream of slight surprise as his feet left any sort of support. Soon, however, he found himself shouting in delight as he rushed through the leaves and the branches. The wind tousled his hair and danced around him. It pushed him just a bit faster and was rewarded with an excited yell. Jack reached out and grabbed the next one, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his blood.

He continued in this manner, laughing all the while, for a few ropes until he noticed 'The Warren' not too far ahead. Jack held the rope tightly with one hand and outstretched his other. He caught onto the trunk of the last tree and when he was sure he wasn't going to slip, he let go of the rope.

"Now that," he said, happily. "That was fun!" The albino noticed a rope that lead down to the ground, thus, he began to climb down it. Unfortunately, the rope wasn't tied down at the bottom like he thought, so when a huge gust of wind hit him, he was blown into a sharp branch of another tree. He felt the wood drag down the side of his face. He waited a moment before jumping the rest of the way down.

Jack brought his hand to the side of his face and hissed in pain when his hand made contact with the wound. He pulled his hand away and noticed the crimson blood dripping from it. He cleaned the blood off with a little bit of his water. Jack checked the time and was pleasantly surprised to see it was 7:28. His 'shortcut' took five minutes. The albino made his way back to the home of the Big Four pulling his hood up carefully to conceal the bleeding wound.

When he arrived he punched the air. It had only just turned half past. He walked inside and crashed into Sanderson who was just about to leave. The other three were behind him.

"Where were you!?" Growled Aster.

"Did you not see my note, you stupid Kangaroo!?" Despite the cool façade he was putting up, in reality, Jack was terrified. He was in so much trouble.

"We saw the note alrigh'! Ya didn't say where ya went so we thought ya ran off!"

"I wrote the time I would be back!" Argued Jack.

"We thought ya wrote it so we wouldn't go lookin' fur ya!"

Jack felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. He didn't reply. Instead, he distracted himself by thinking of the fun he had just had, swinging through the trees.

Sandy signed something and Jack answered, "I wasn't living on the streets for no reason, you know." Everyone, including Jack was shocked. Jack hadn't been able to understand sign language before.

"Frost," said Annaliese slowly. "What did Sandy just say?"

"He-he said I looked much happier than yesterday." Jack ran his hand through his hair, destressed. Why was he able to understand sign language all of a sudden? A gasp pulled him from his thoughts. North grabbed Jack's hand and held it in front of his face.

"What is this?" He asked.

Jack looked in horror as he realised that his hand had the blood from the wound that was hidden by his hood. Sandy went up and yanked his hood down. He tried to use his other hand to cover it but it was too late. The Big Four had seen it. He looked down. If he wasn't in trouble before, he definitely was now.

"What happened?" Asked Aster, trying not to give into the need to shake the answers out of the younger.

"It's nothing!" Snapped Jack, pulling his hood back up and pulling his hand out of North's grasp. His eyes flashed to the clock and he saw it was 7:43. Less than an hour until they had to catch the bus.

"Frost, how did you get it?" Annaliese inquired.

"It doesn't matter! Leave me alone!" Jack shoved passed them and ran upstairs, intending to lock himself in the bathroom for a while. Once he was sure the door was locked. He went to the mirror and looked at his reflection properly for the first time in about two weeks. He looked bedraggled. His snowy white hair was sticking up in every direction known to man. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and the dark circles under them didn't make him look any less tired. The blood flowing from the wound had slowed down a bit but had painted some of his hair red.

He ran the cold tap and splashed it over his face a few times. It woke him up a bit. Next, he cleaned the hair covered in blood. That took twenty minutes since his hair was so white. After he did that, he dabbed a wet tissue over the cut on the side of his face cleaning off any dry blood. He pressed the two sides of the gash together tightly, slowing then eventually stopping the blood flow. He cleansed the wound one more time before he satisfied. He looked at the healing wound and grimaced slightly as he realised it would scar.

He unlocked the door and quietly made his way back downstairs. It was 8:35. He had taken longer than he had thought he did. All of the Big Four were talking in hushed voices (or in Sanderson's case, signing rapidly). They instantly stopped when they noticed Jack's presence.

"C'mon." Said Aster, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "We better go now if we wanna catch the bus on time."

The journey to the bus stop had little interaction between Jack and The Big Four. They got on and Jack raced to his usual seat at the back. The others ignored him and continued their conversation from earlier as they sat down in their usual spaces. Jack tried to listen in, but they were careful with the volume of their voices and Jack couldn't see Sandy's hands signing so he didn't know what they were discussing.

The ride to school was uneventful, until Jack was going through his wallet sorting his change. He saw a slip of paper and he opened it curiously.

' _Tomorrow._

 _8:00._

 _School Library._

 _Don't be late. We have important matters to discuss. Don't let those idiots come with you._

 _PB.'_

A colourful curse slipped from Jack's tongue. He had completely forgotten!

The moment the bus stopped, Jack careered out, pushing past everyone else. The Big Four shouted after him, but he continued to run. He couldn't waste anymore time.

He barged into the library and looked around. The librarian was giving him a disapproving stare and several students were annoyed at his noisy entry. Jack gave a sheepish smile and began searching. He went further and further in and was about to give up when he heard some footsteps behind him. His blood froze at the voice.

"You're late."


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally finished this. I originally had another idea but my friend got into a fight the other day and I was kind of in the middle. It was traumatising to say the least. So this chapter is basically my traumatised mind mixing up my story with real life.**

 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS SWEARING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

 **(Yeah sorry if you're a bit sensitive when it comes to swearing but one, this is like I said imitating the real life thing and a few aspects of the fight were pushed into here, swearing included. Two, They're in high school and someone will eventual swear. However, I'll try to keep it to a minimum:)**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Sofie Rose: You'll find out now!**

 **yellowmiki98: The only hints you get are the ones in the chapter so it depends if you find them or not!;)**

 **Picasso Penguin: It's fine, you made up for it by reviewing it this time, didn't you? Don't worry, they're not real teeth, you'll find out a bit more about them as well as how Jack suddenly understands sign language soon! And yeah it hurts to lose a relative. I mean I never met him personally but I could of soon and now I can't exactly. So it hurts to know I won't see him. But I'll be fine. My holiday might do me some good.**

 **EriTheBear: Well wait no longer! It's here!**

* * *

Jack gulped and spun around to see the one he had been looking for: Pitch.

"'8:00' said the note. 'Don't be late' said the note." Pitch looked passed Jack and nodded sharply. "I see you have managed to listen to one of my orders." Pitch took a step backwards and indicated for the younger male to follow. Jack did so, albeit hesitantly.

"Look..uh..Pitch...I...uh..I'm sorry for being late. I um..I kinda forgot."

Pitch gave a bark of laughter at Jack's apology. "I approached you for a reason. But if you will continue to forget about our meetings, I may have to find someone else."

Jack shook his head even though Pitch was walking in front of him. "No!" Shouted Jack. The black haired male turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow that Jack could barely see due to it being so dark. "No," said Jack more timidly. "I..won't be late again."

"See to it that you aren't." The bell rang and made Jack jump. They arrived outside and Jack was about to ask Pitch when he next wanted to see him, but when he turned to ask, he found Pitch had vanished.

He shrugged and ran to Geography. Everyone was still lined up outside, waiting for the teacher. Jack stood at the end of the line. The Big Four saw him but when they saw the frown on his face, they decided to leave him alone. Unfortunately, not everyone thought the same way.

"Did you hear the stunt Frost pulled yesterday?"

'Keep calm, Jack! Keep calm!' Said Jack mentally as a boy name Derrick asked the question to his group of equally obnoxious admirers. Jack knew quite a bit about Derrick. His mother had abandoned him and his father barely acknowledged him. He was loud and obnoxious but only so he could get a bit of attention. He terrorised Jack only because the albino had managed to get paint down his new jacket. It was an accident. Jack's pranks were never so amateur. He was a professional prankster. But Derrick didn't listen when Jack protested so he found ways to get under Jack's skin.

"Yeah! The piece of crap tried to kill himself!" Replied one of the group in reply to Derrick's question. They stood in front of Jack and were being loud deliberately.

"Look, I don't see how any of this is your business." Jack stated, getting involved. "Anyway you don't know the full thing, so I suggest you stop talking about it before you mess up the information you already have."

"We weren't asking for your input, Frost."

Jack kept his face calm and just said, "Ok," and turned away. Inside he was furiously repeating his 'Keep calm' mantra. He was so tempted to yell that he had the right to add his input considering the topic was about him. But he didn't. He couldn't lose his temper.

Derrick wasn't happy. The reaction he was given wasn't the one he was looking for. "What you did yesterday just proves my point. You are a pathetic, cowardly piece of shit!" Said Derrick gaining attention and reactions from everyone but Jack.

"Ok." Repeated Jack. The teacher arrived and let the class in. Many students stood at the door, wanting to see what happened next. Derrick and his gang never moved. Jack went around them and was about to enter the classroom when Derrick said something that made his blood boil. "I bet the son of a bitch will start crying now because he can't run home and cry to his Mummy! 'Mummy! Mummy! Everyone's bullying me, so now I'm gonna cry like the big baby I am!'"

Jack spun around, stalked up to Derrick and jabbed his finger in the latter's chest. "Don't you dare!" Bellowed Jack in his face. "Don't you fucking DARE, talk about my mother or my father or my sister, you fucking piece of shit! At least MY mother didn't walk out on me!"

Jack saw it coming. His last comment had practically guaranteed it. Derrick's fist flew towards his face and landed on Jack's nose. Jack stumbled backwards with the force. He yelled in rage and they got into a full on tussel. Jack kicked Derrick, trying to get the other away from him. Derrick retaliated by holding his leg in mid kick and punching Jack with his other hand. Jack grabbed the punching hand and pulled on it, resulting in them both falling to the floor. They were quick to untangle themselves and they quickly stood again.

Jack snarled as he lunged forward again, but before he could land another blow, he felt someone pull him back. It was North. Jack took a breath in and then out. When he did that, his mind cleared up enough to notice Derrick was being held back by a furious Aster and Annaliese. He also noticed the Geography teacher giving him a sympathetic look. He glowered at the teacher. He knew if he got out of this unpunished, it would only be because of sympathy and pity. Two things he utterly despised.

"Nicholas, do you mind taking Jackson to the toilets to calm down?"

"Of course, sir. Come on Jack!" Jack walked away with North and looked back and saw a terrified Derrick being lead to the Head of Years office with Aster, Annaliese and Sandy ensuring he didn't run off.

They arrived at the toilets and Jack went to the taps and splashed his face with water. For a moment he ignored North, as he inspected the cut he had cleaned in the morning. It had opened again. Jack groaned as he realised he would have to clean it again.

Before Jack could do anything, however, he felt a pair of strong fingers push the wound together. He flinched at the touch knowing full well that it was North.

"What are you doing?" Asked Jack, uncertain about how to react.

"I'm helping, so stay still."

'Helping!' That was new to Jack. Especially considering it was coming from the leader of the Big Four. "Look, I don't need your help. I'm capable of doing it myself."

"Tough! I'm helping, whether you like or no!"

* * *

 _"Nooorrrrth! I don't need your help! I'm capable of doing it myself." Whinged the brown haired boy._

 _"Tough! I'm helping, whether you like or no!" Replied his Russian companion as he washed up the wound on the younger boy's leg. "You did not listen when I say no running, so now I will not listen to you."_

 _"Karma's a-"_

 _"Hush with complaining and let me work in peace."_

 _The younger brunette chuckled. "Sorry." They fell into silence before the younger spoke up again. "Thanks North."_

 _"без проблем, мой друг."_

* * *

Jack gasped as the scene vanished from his mind. What was that? He didn't remember ever seeing that before. Jack looked at North who had just come back from grabbing a few tissues. The albino noticed a glint of sadness in the Russian's deep blue eyes.

Jack pondered that glint as well as how he could suddenly understand sign language. He knew there must be a connection but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't join them.

"There!" Said North, pulling Jack from his thoughts. "Done! We should be heading back to class now." North lead the way and Jack followed quietly behind, not wanting to speak to the other.

The Big Four were hiding something from him, and he was determined to find out what.


	8. Chapter 8

**My head is pounding and my depression is getting worst because my Birthday is approaching. It's this Friday. I'm sitting here everyone ignores it but my friends are too good. My dad is doing my head in about my GCSE options so I decided to post this to make myself feel a bit better.**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Sofie Rose: I dunno. I just write whenever I'm in the mood. Sometimes I'm stuck on one story so that's why it gets updated faster then the others.**

 **Picasso Penguin: Calm down. Remember, Derrick is not the main focus. Maybe if I make a sequel he may be but he isn't now.**

 **Yellowmiki98: it's either you die reading or I die telling you. Pick:) (just kiddin' but I still can't tell you!)**

 **EriTheBear: I'm feeling better about it now but now there are more stresses! Life really doesn't like me!**

 **Please R &R**

* * *

It was the lesson before lunch. Jack groaned.

"This day can not go any faster, can it?!" He complained to himself. Since the fight, nothing had happened to Jack but, he had heard Derrick was put in isolation for a month. Jack had scoffed at that. What good could isolating someone from the rest of their class do? They could easily just see each other outside of school. But since that idea never crossed the minds of the adults, that was the most punishment Jack could see Derrick getting.

He sighed as he drew yet another snowflake on the cover of his Maths book. He was pretty good at Maths, having had to work out averages and such when he used to help his father. But today, he just wanted to go to the park and hang from his tree for a few hours. The bell finally rang and Jack stuffed everything into his bag. He was about to escape when the teacher, Mrs Bennett called him over.

"Jack, are you alright?" She asked softly. Mrs. Bennett had been best friends with Mrs. Overland, so naturally she was concerned for her friend's son.

Jack shook his head negative. "No. Not really. I can't go back home and I'm being forced to live with the Bloody Big Four." He noticed a frown form on Mrs. Bennett's face but it disappeared as quick as it came.

"Well, Jamie wanted you to come over some time this week."

"How does tomorrow after school sound?" Asked Jack immediately, eager to find some time away from the Big Four.

"That's perfect. I have a teachers meeting after school tomorrow, anyway."

Jack smiled as he made his way. "Great. See you then. Thanks Mrs. Bennett." He gave her a mock military salute and left, leaving her chuckling at his antics.

Jack made his way to the school canteen and was quick to notice Aster and North arguing at a table. Annaliese and Sanderson were just making their way over. The latter noticed him standing there and waved the albino over. Jack just scowled and made his way outside.

It was a cold day. Bitter winter wind flew across the field making the grass bow in its wake. He was the only one outside.

Perfect.

He sat on the stairs leading up to the door and pulled out his sandwiches and his bottle of water. He opened the packet and scrunched his nose in disgust when he realised the flavour. He had picked up tuna sandwiches. Just his luck.

He tossed the sandwiches and drank the entire contents of the bottle. He sat there, watching as a light snow began to fall. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he saw Sandy standing there. His hands moved around, signing something.

" _May I_ _sit with you?"_

Jack grunted shortly, looking back at the snow which was beginning to fall a bit faster. He vaguely saw Sandy sitting down and looking at him. Without turning his head, Jack looked at the golden haired boy next to him.

Sanderson had an expression of wondering and sorrow mixed. When he saw Jack looking at him, he asked a question.

 _"_ _You understand my signing, so does that mean you can sign, too?"_ He asked.

Jack's gaze fell forward again. He bit his lip as his hands raised to answer. " _Seems like I_ _can."_

They stopped talking (or signing) watching as a few people walked by, pulling their coats around them tighter. Sanderson too, tightened his jacket. Jack, however, loosened the neck of his hoodie and sighed almost peacefully as the wind caressed him gently. He leaned back into the wind, relishing the mother like feel it gave him. He always loved Winter. The cold had never been a problem to him for as long as he remembered. Maybe it had something to do with being albino. He didn't know but he wouldn't question it. It had been the main reason he had managed to survive a week on the streets. That and the fact he stubbornly wanted to prove he would go anywhere other than the orphanage.

He growled lightly at the thought. If he knew he would have ended up in the home of the Big Four if he didn't listen to Manny, he would've went to the orphanage.

He felt something move next to him and he quickly realised Sandy was shivering.

Realising the golden haired big wouldn't leave without him, he sighed before asking, "Shall we go inside?"

" _Yes, please."_ Was his signed reply.

"You know," began Jack as they got up. "It's like a secret code." The moment he said that, he gave a yell of pain as a scene stormed his mind.

* * *

 _"_ _Thanks for the signing_ _lessons!" Exclaimed the 7 year old brunette, hugging his shorter yet older companion._

 _The 8 year old, golden haired boy signed, "_ _No problem_ _."_

 _"_ _You know," the brunette boy continued happily, "it's like a secret_ _code!"_

 _The shorter boy nodded_ _and excitedly began listening the many things_ _they could do, with his friend adding his own_ _ideas enthusiastically._

 _"_ _Or! Or we could sit next to each other in a test and sign each other the answers!"_

 _"_ _I think if the teachers knew you could sign, you'd be put_ _at the other end of the classroom!_ _" Signed the older boy, silently laughing at his_ _friend's put out expression._

 _"_ _Then we can't tell anyone!" Declared the brunette._

 _"_ _What about the others?_ _" Asked the golden haired boy._

 _The younger had the decency to look sheepish. "Whoops! Ok. We can't tell anyone except for our closest friends!"_

 _The older boy suggested they tell their friends immediately to which the brown haired boy quickly agreed_.

* * *

Jack ignored Sandy's worried questions on his wellbeing as he turned and ran out onto the school yard, clutching his pounding head. His breathing was heavy and his vision was slightly blurred. Ever since he was put with the Big Four yesterday, he had had three of these strange visions. He couldn't remember the first one he had in his dreams. He couldn't remember ever seeing the brown haired kid in the other two and he never remembered witnessing the events in the first place. The headache ebbed away, just as the bell rang for lesson. He walked back up to the school building. "Those four are trouble if you ask me."

Nothing eventful happened. Sandy continued to ask about how he was. Jack continued to just ignore him, thinking it wise to avoid any unnecessary interaction. Nothing happened until last lesson.

Jack sat alone at the back of the Physics classroom, daydreaming about his life before his last family had passed away. He ignored the buzz coming from the rest of the class. The next day was the last day of the term before Christmas. The Winter Solstice, however was what Jack eagerly awaited. His 18th birthday. When he was free from the ones that had terrorised him for as long as he could remember. Speaking of remembering, he tried to summon his first memory. For many people, it is them playing with friends and family at a young age, or maybe being somewhere special, again while youthful. Jack's first memory was neither.

* * *

 _He awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked around at the white room. Where was he? Looking around, he saw machines and medical equipment. He was in hospital._

 _What had happened_?

 _He tried to remember the last person he was with. They would have the answers. But try as he might, he couldn't remember. He sighed, pushing his white locks from his vision with his pale hand. The door opened and a young boy his age, 14, maybe 15, entered. He wore a grey shirt and black jeans. Over it, he wore a long black jacket. His amber eyes, looked at him intensely, like he was looking for something._

 _"_ _Do you_ _remember anything?" He asked, simply. He shook his head. "Do you_ a _t least_ _remember your own name?"_

 _It took a moment but he_ _answered. "My name is Jackson Overland Frost_." _The person_ _nodded, to show he had been listening._

 _"_ _Well," began the strange boy. " I don't need anything else so I'll be taking my lea-" before he could continue_ _they heard the sound of people approaching the room. From the_ _panic stricken expression adorning the dark haired boy's face, Jack could tell_ _he wasn't supposed to be there._

 _"_ _Quick!" He whispered, capturing the other's attention. "Hide under the bed." The_ _strange boy dove under, just as a doctor came in, followed by a family of three._

 _'_ _My family!' He realised. There was his Mama, his Papa and Flee. When they saw him_ _alive and well, huge_ _smiles replaced the tired frowns. They restrained from squeezing him as the doctor asked him some questions._

 _"_ _Good to finally see you_ _up. Now I'm just going to ask some simple questions. Do you remember what happened which brought you here?"_

 _"_ _No."_

 _Everyone's smiles vanished at that. The doctor however, continued._

 _"_ _Apart from your family, do you remember anyone else? Friends for_ _instance."_

 _Jack strained his head, trying so hard to remember. He finally gave up and said "No." sounding defeated._

 _A few more questions were asked_ _and soon they_ _left, not wanting to overwhelm him as he had just awoken._

 _The amber eyed boy came out_ _and was_ _about to leave. "Wait!" Cried Jack. The boy looked at him confused._

 _Did_ _the boy suddenly get his memories back?_

 _"_ _Since I_ _can't remember anyone, I need some new friends. What's your nam_ e?"

 _The boy chuckled. "I doubt you want to be my friend._ " _He pushed the door open slightly before looking back. "If you really want to know, my name is Kozmotis. Kozmotis Pitchiner." And with that, he finally exited the room, leaving Jack to wonder what had happened._

* * *

Jack blinked. It had only been 3, almost 4 years, since he woke up in hospital. He couldn't remember anything before that.

"..your own partners for the project." The albino realised he had blanked out and had missed the homework explanation. But he heard the 'partner' bit loud and clear. It wasn't often they had to work in pairs. When they did, however, Jack would refuse to cooperate and would be told to do it himself. He was stubborn like that.

He never said a word as everyone began to pair up, but noticed Sandy coming towards him.

'Oh no! Nononono!' He mentally shouted. He wasn't working with any of the Big Four.

"Need some help?" Asked a silky, British voice, making Jack stiffen in fear as a hand was placed on his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

Sandy frowned but turned and partnered with North instead.

"Well, that's one less problem." Mumbled Jack, keeping his eyes towards the ground as he turned to Pitch. "Thanks." He said quietly, daring to peak up. Pitch was looking down, like he was inspecting the albino in front of him.

"You really don't like those four, do you?"

"Why should I?" Said Jack, shrugging Pitch's hand off his shoulder. "They can bully and make fun of me all they want, but they bring my family into it..." Jack silenced and put his stuff away. He was about to leave when he remembered something. "So, where exactly are we going to do this project?" He inquired.

"Meet me at the Burgess Lake in an hour." Pitch told him, walking away. He stopped and without turning, added, "You'd better not be late again." Jack shivered at the tone in the older's voice. Pitch left.

Jack swung his bag over his shoulder and quickly left the school, trying to avoid any interaction with any of the other students. He turned the corner, knowing he would have to go to the Big Four's home first. As he turned, someone grabbed him by the hood and swung him inside a vehicle. For the briefest of moments, the albino thought he was being kidnapped. When he realised his company, that idea was quickly extinguished.

"You know," he drawled, sourly. "I can walk."

North chuckled as Aster hesitantly entered the jeep. "Yes, so can I! This is faster!"

"And more dangerous!" Snapped Aster, tucking himself into a corner, seeking protection.

"Buckle up!" North cried. Before they could do as he said, he slammed his foot on the accelerator and they were off.

They were at the house within a few minutes. North came out fine as did Sandy and Annaliese. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Aster and Jack. Aster came out first, holding a paper bag up to his mouth, looking slightly green. If this was any other time, Jack would have laughed at the muscular teen looking so unwell, but he also stepped out dizzy. He was suddenly thankful he never ate at lunch.

"Why?!" He complained. "Why haven't you had your driving licence taken away from you, yet?! Never mind that! Why do you even have a driving license in the first place!?"

"Don't waste yar breath, mate." Aster told him, making his way to the front door. "We will never know."

Jack went inside and grabbed a glass of water, immediately feeling much better. He made sure he had everything he needed and began to make his way out when someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Where do you think yar goin'?" Asked a very familiar Australian accent.

Jack turned and pulled away from the grasp. "I think you need your memory checked, Kangaroo. We have a project and I need to meet up with my partner to do it."

"Who's your partner?"

"How is this any of your business!?" Jack shouted, frustrated.

"Are ya gonna tell me or will I have ta force the answers from ya?"

"It's Pitch, now let me leave!"

"Fine. But you have ta be back by 7:30."

"What?!" Jack yelled. "7:30! Your mad if you think I'm actually going to be back by then." Jack opened the door and made to leave when Aster spoke up.

"Well, if yar not back by 7:30, ya can kiss yar home goodbye."

If looks could kill, Aster would've died 10 times over.

"Are you threatening me with my own home?" Jack whispered furiously.

"I wouldn't call it a threat but if that's what ya think..."

Jack turned on his heel and left, silently fuming.

Aster sighed when Jack was out of sight. "Sorry, Frostbite." He said quietly, before going to his workroom.

* * *

Being so eager to get away from the Big Four's house, Jack arrived at the Burgess Lake in no time at all. He was early. There was still 40 minutes left. Having nothing else to do, he climbed a nearby tree and found a pair of skates hanging from a branch. His skates. He untied them and jumped down. Putting the skates on, he stepped onto the ice. He closed his eyes and let his body move of its own accord. Jack skated happily, his troubles forgotten, even if momentarily. He was so caught up in his skating, he didn't realise Pitch had arrived and was watching him.

The dark haired boy cleared his throat, startling Jack and making him lose his balance. He fell onto the ice with an unceremonious 'thump'.

Pitch snickered and Jack pouted. "You don't have to rub it in my face, you know." The albino said as he stood up and made his way off the ice.

"Where's the fun in that?" Pitch asked. "Come. We have to make up for the time you lost this morning."

Jack remembered how late he had been this morning and was thankful he had managed to wriggle back into Pitch's good book. Because if there was one persons good book you wanted to be in, it was Pitch's.


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel horrible. I won't be able to update anymore stories for a few days because I have adopted a story and I want to work on it. Sorry guys. Don't kill me!**

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 **Iloveanimals: Hopefully, you'll like this one. Maybe not at the moment. Right now, Jack hates Aster's guts soooo...**

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 **Please R &R.**

* * *

He followed Pitch, silently. They soon arrived at an apartment building. They went in and walked passed the stairs. His home was on the bottom floor. Pitch pulled out the keys and they stepped inside. It was quiet dark, even when Pitch turned the lights on. The curtains were black like the walls and the carpet, making Jack feel a little scared. The sofas were grey. Around the room were little scary sculptures. After closer inspection, Jack realised they were horses. Jack sat down slowly, while Pitch went into the kitchen. He came back with a plate of biscuits and cakes, placing them on the glass coffee table that sat in the middle of the room.

"They're not poisoned." He stated silkily when he noticed Jack look at them suspiciously. Jack took one hesitantly and nibbled at it, not really hungry.

"So, what's the project?" He asked Pitch. "I kinda missed the explanation." He added with a sheepish grin.

Pitch couldn't help the groan that escaped him. "First, you miss our meeting, then, you miss the homework explanation?!" When Jack nodded mutely, he sighed. "The project is to make a short presentation on something we've studied in the past term."

There was just silence in response. It was obvious Jack still didn't trust him fully. Pitch tried to find away to break the awkward silence, his eyes scanning the room for ideas. His gaze fell on one of his horse sculptures.

"Come with me. I have something to show you." They left the apartment and headed down the street. They soon came to a large field. Pitch lead Jack through it, and they came to a stop outside a horse stable. Inside it were two beautiful mares that couldn't be more opposite. One was as black as night, with a glistening main and coat, making it look like it had a sliver sparkle to it. It glared at Jack unfriendly with its light brown eyes, but was calm when Pitch walked up and patted its muzzle.

The other was white, like the colour of Jack's hair. The mare's coat shone like the moon and its mane reminded Jack of freshly fallen snow. Its eyes seemed black, however, Jack looked closer and saw they were actually a dark blue.

When Pitch tried to pat it, it made to snap at his fingers. The older boy just managed to get his hand away from its teeth. Pitch rolled his eyes like he was used to the behaviour. The dark haired boy gestured to the first horse.

"This is Obsidian. My horse." Then he gave a bored look at the other horse. "This is her sister, who remains unnamed."

"Why?" Jack asked, sounding like a little child.

"Because she refuses to even let me near her, let alone ride her. It's a challenge to just feed her."

"C..can I try?" Offered Jack, hesitantly.

Pitch shrugged. "If you really want to, but I'll warn you, she doesn't let anyone near her."

Jack bit his lip and nodded. He stretched out his hand and slowly began to approach the mare. When the horse began to whinny in distress, he found himself gently shushing it.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I promise. You're gonna be...you're gonna be fine."

* * *

 _"Would I trick you?"_

 _"Yes, you always play tricks!"_

 _"Alright! We-Well not this time. I promise. I promise. You're gonna be...you're gonna be fine."_

* * *

Jack winced as the scene flashed through his head. He ignored it, in favour of calming the mare in front of him. He continued to whisper gently to it, his hand hovering in front of the muzzle. He didn't dare touch the horse, yet.

His hand was now no more then a few centimetres away from the mare's muzzle, and said mare was no longer bucking around worried. With a sigh, he closed the distance between them with his eyes closed. He almost jumped away when he felt the mare nuzzling his hand. He opened his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things, and indeed he wasn't. Jack brought his other hand up, happy to note the horse wasn't skittish anymore. His hands cupped around her muzzle, rubbing it gently.

"There we go." He said to the mare quietly. "I told you, I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I?"

The horse gave a small neigh in answer to his question. Pitch was mildly surprised. Then again, he could understand why the mare had taken a liking to him. They were both albinos for one. They were both also free spirits, that didn't want to be restrained, and they were hesitant to get close to anyone.

"Do you want to ride her?" Asked Pitch, letting out Obsidian and saddling her up.

Jack was busy petting his new friend. "I..I would, but I've never ridden before."

"I'll show you, if you want."

Jack looked up at Pitch excitedly. "Yes, please!"

Pitch tried to show him how to saddle up the mare, but she didn't like the idea at all.

"She won't let me saddle her." Moaned Jack, trying once again to put the saddle on her. And failing.

"You need to force it on her, show her who's boss." Pitch told him, watching Jack continue in the same manner as before.

Jack stopped to give the older a slightly flat look. "If I do that, I'll lose her trust. Besides, I don't think she'll let me do it regardless."

"You could try riding her bareback," suggested Pitch. "but it can be dangerous if you've never ridden before. Even I've never ridden bareback."

Jack shrugged, dropping the saddle. "Life's too short to not take risks." Gently putting his hands on the shining white coat, he mounted the mare. Successfully. He noticed his hands shaking slightly as he lightly gripped the mare's white mane. He used one hand to pat her, coaxing her into trotting slowly. Using her mane as reigns, he successfully steered out of the stables, an impressed Pitch following him out on his own steed.

Jack was feeling a bit more confident, and pressed his legs against the mare's sides, making her move faster.

Soon, he was galloping around the field, easily steering his ride around obstacles. The wind ruffled his hair and he felt like he was flying. He barely noticed Pitch galloping beside him, too caught up in the thrill of the moment.

An hour or so later, they slowed their mares into a little trot, so they could rest.

"I have to say, Frost. You're a natural bareback rider. I think you would've struggled with a saddle and reign."

"It's like, when I got on her, I already knew what to do."

"If you want, you can have her."

Jack looked to the older boy in shock.

"You can keep her here if you have nowhere else to keep her, but she'll be yours."

"Really?!"

"Of course." Pitch told him, a sincere tone in his voice. "She doesn't even let me near her in the first place."

Jack bent down on the mare and hugged her neck. "Thanks."

They trotted across the field in companionable silence. After a while, Pitch told Jack that they should head back. Jack smiled cheekily, before bursting into a gallop, yelling, "Race you!"

Pitch gave a competitive smirk. "You're on!" He snapped the reigns and Obsidian raced after her sister.

They arrived outside the stables, laughing. They hadn't been paying attention to who won, but they had enjoyed themselves nonetheless.

Jack was reluctant to come down, but told himself he could easily see the mare tomorrow.

They were feeding their horses apples, as a treat, when Pitch asked, "So what are you going to name her?"

Jack had actually been pondering that himself, ever since Pitch handed the ownership over to him. He thought about how he felt like he was flying on the wind when he rode her.

"Wind." He said quietly. Pitch raised an eyebrow at him. "Her name is Wind."

"Obsidian and Wind. They couldn't be more different." Stated Pitch, leading Obsidian into her stable.

"Just like their owners." Jack said without realising.

They stood there, patting the mares, Jack whispering gently to Wind. However, they soon realised they had to leave and so did so, Jack, more reluctantly.

The albino followed Pitch back to the apartment, and gathered his stuff. "Leaving so soon?" Pitch inquired.

Jack huffed. "I've been given a curfew of 7:30."

"You aren't going to listen, are you?" Was the indecorous reply.

"If I had a choice, I would still be on the streets, but they threatened to tell Mr. InMoon to sell my home if I'm not back in time."

"Then I shall you see you tomorrow."

Jack nodded and left.

Pitch shook his head. "You're getting soft, Pitch." He groaned at himself. "Remember the reason you are doing this."

* * *

Jack walked through the woods. He found the tree he had been swinging on that morning. It felt like lifetimes away, to him. He continued his journey, slowly as possible.

Jack arrived at 7:24, much to his relief and simultaneous, disappointment. Aster opened the door and told him dinner was ready. Jack gave a small grunted response, before running into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He slid to the floor, his back against the door. His thoughts drifted back to the short scene that had flashed through his head earlier. Flee has been in it.

His baby sister.

The newly orphaned boy, held the locket up to his shining blue eyes, for inspection. His finger felt the metal and with a small sniffle, he opened it. There she was. She looked so happy in the picture compared to in his vision. He tried to imagine what had happened on her side of the story, the day she died. He sat there, thinking back to all the fun he used to have with her. He was pulled out of his thoughts when there was a knock on the door.

"Frost! What's taken ya so long!? Dinners gettin' cold!"

"Not hungry!" He yelled in response.

There was grumbling before sounds of footsteps going back down the stairs.

Jack sighed. He would come out.

Just not yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we go! Finally!**

 **If you guys need a laugh, I recommend you type this into YouTube:**

 **"Rise Of The Guardians - Jack Attempting Plurals"**

 **I laughed so hard, I couldn't breathe!**

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 **Yellowmiki: I know you're trying to sound threatening, but honestly? I can't take you seriously. I have a feeling you'll like the end of this chapter.**

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 **Enjoy!**

* * *

After another half an hour, Jack summoned the strength to leave the bathroom. He went downstairs and found no one there. He breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to deal with them right now. He looked towards the clock on the wall. It was 8 o'clock and, despite waking up so early in the morning, he wasn't tired in the slightest.

He sat on his makeshift bed and pulled out his sketchbook. Flicking through the pages, he saw continuous pages of fern-like swirls, snowflakes and snowy landscapes. He found the latest sketch he had been working on and got his pencil out to continue it. He drew for about 2 minutes, before his stomach growled loudly. He looked at it surprised, though he really shouldn't have been. The only things he had eaten all day were an apple and a little bit of cake when he went to Pitch's. As if on cue, North came downstairs, holding his own rumbling stomach.

The Russian passed by the living and noticed Jack in a similar position to him. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out the milk. Once he had poured it into two glasses, he put some of his homemade cookies into two plates. Taking one glass and one plate, he entered the living room. Jack didn't notice him. The younger boy was too caught up in his drawing and trying to avoid his rumbling stomach to notice.

"Jack." North said. The albino looked up. He held out the milk and cookies.

"'M not hungry." Mumbled Jack. He may have convinced North, if it weren't for the fact that his stomach rumbled right after the statement. He glowered at the offending part of his body. He felt the sofa sink a little as North sat down next to him.

"Your stomach says otherwise." Smirked North.

"I've got a stomach ache." Was the short reply.

"Don't lie. You are hungry." He forcibly pulled the sketchbook and pencil off of Jack, earning a surprised whinge from the younger teen.

"Give it back!"

"Eat." Commanded North with a stern glare. Jack folded his arms and turned away, trying not to succumb to the growing urge to eat. North sighed. "Look. We have not given you any reason to trust us, but it was for a good reason."

"So, what's the reason?" Jack asked angrily. He turned towards North with a scowl. "For what reason, did you have to bully me? I'm the one you bully. I'm the one who almost killed myself because of your bullying. I should at least know why!"

North stared steadily at Jack until the albino had finished his rant. He quickly found himself diverting his gaze, not wanting his eyes to make contact with Jack's.

"I...cannot tell you..." North replied, hesitantly.

"That's what I thought." Hissed Jack. "The only reason you do it, is because you have nothing better to do in your spare time."

North couldn't take it anymore. He shook his head and got up. He stopped in the doorway. "You do not need to trust us, but don't starve yourself in spite." He then went to his room, forgetting his milk and cookies in the kitchen.

Jack stared at the place where North had just stood a moment before. He picked up the plate and glass to put them away. He saw the other plate of cookies and the other glass of milk. He couldn't help but feel a small surge of guilt. The Russian had forgotten his own snack because of his own horrible words. Maybe Jack shouldn't have been so harsh. North had shown discomfort in sharing his answer. It could be extremely personal.

"I'm making excuses for their behaviour!?" Jack asked himself, unable to believe it. His gaze fell on the cookies and he growled at the action he was about to do. He grabbed the plate and stormed upstairs with the plate and glass in hand. He quickly found himself outside North and Aster's room. He heard two voices inside, seemingly arguing, but it definitely wasn't with each other.

"...oo dangerous!"

"Ja! With all respect due sir, we're risking his very life like this! If we do anything like we used to, then he is put in pain. Sandy said it looked like he had a headache because of it!"

There was some ambiguous mumbling before the sound of someone flopping on a bed. Jack decided to knock the door. Well, he kicked it lightly, because his hands were slightly busy with cookies and milk. The low chatter ceased and Aster opened the door.

"Whaddya want?"

"Your friend left these downstairs." Aster's eyes widened. For a moment, Jack thought the Australian's eyes were watering. He quickly shook that idea away.

"Thanks, mate. I'll take these off ya." Jack turned to go back downstairs. "Wait!" Jack turned back. Aster became slightly bashful. "Sorry fur threatening ya earlier. It's been a while since I've had responsibility over anyone."

Jack tilted his head, curiously. Aster shook his head and turned to go back into his room.

"Hey, Bunnymund!" He looked back at the albino who was scratching the back of his head. "No worries." He said with a momentary smile. He ran back downstairs. Aster smiled to himself.

"Maybe we are getting through ta him." He said softly to himself before going back to his room.

Downstairs, Jack felt funny. It hadn't been as hard to accept the apology as he thought it would. "If the Kangaroo apologised, then maybe, the rest of the week won't be too bad."

* * *

When North came down to put his plate away, he found Jack's glass empty and some of the cookies eaten. He smiled at the boy sleeping on the sofas. He tucked Jack in, before going up to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

**I managed to grind out this chapter between revision for my English Literature Exam. Exams have started so updates will be less frequent. My dad has been pressuring me (it kinda feels like he's bullying me to do well) and if I try to do fanfic at the same time, I think my mental health will snap.**

 **So sorry if it takes a long time to update, because I've also got to go to my aunt's engagement party.**

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 **Sofie Rose: I think you'll like the small change he makes in this chapter.**

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 **R &R**

* * *

 _"It's okay, it's okay!" He found himself saying. His voice was calm and gentle, hoping she would understand she was fine. He stuck his hand out and brought it to his chest as he said, "Don't look down, just look at me."_

 _She looked away from the ice which was cracking underneath her and instead looked at him hesitantly, trying to not give in to the urge to look down. Her eyes were locked with his and showed massive amounts of fear and terror within them. "Jack," she said, her voice wavering a bit._ _"I'm scared." She whimpered as the ice made another large cracking sound._

* * *

Jack shot up, similar to yesterday. He felt his heart pounding. The details of the dream faded quickly. Again, all he remembered was someone calling out to him. He held on to the memory as long as he could before he realised it was girl calling him. Feeling proud that he remembered another detail, he was ready to sleep, again.

He sat up. He heard a small clinking sound coming near the back of the house. Jack stood and went into the kitchen.

No one.

"Geez. I really am sleep deprived." He moaned. He turned to return to bed when there was a sound equivalent to a 'bang!' He noticed the sound come from the garage door so that's where his curiosity took him.

He opened the door and was met with the sight of a frantic North running around. He was muttering a mix of Russian and English curses as he hammered items together.

"What on Earth?" North stopped short seeing the tired albino glare at him.

"Hello, Jack." He quickly greeted before going back to painting a toy train.

Jack walked in.

"What are you doing at.." Jack checked the clock. "2:41 in the morning!?"

"Sorry." North apologised as he began to check off items on a list. "Very busy."

"Busy?! Doing what!?" Jack groaned. He didn't sleep the night before either and it was starting to take its toll on him.

"Making toys." Was the short reply.

Jack forgot his sleep deprived state as his interest piqued. "Toys?"

"Yes. For children in orphanage. I need to finish by Christmas."

Jack sat on an empty chair that was in the room. "You're leaving it a bit late, aren't you?"

North shook his head. "With everything that has been happening, I forgot."

The albino frowned. The Russian was obviously talking about his sudden moving into their home. He glanced at the list, noticing only a handful of the toys had been finished. As he scanned the remaining items, he realised North was never going to finish by Christmas. He pointed this out. "You can't finish this in time. It's too late."

"No!" North shouted at Jack, scaring the blue eyed boy of the chair. "No! No such thing as too late!" He sat at the desk and started scribbling notes.

'There's no way he's gonna to finish in time. It's one person and two tonnes of gifts.' Jack thought as he sat up, again. If he wasn't doing it alone...

"I'll help you."

Nicholas stopped writing immediately. "Really?"

Jack rolled up his sleeves. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for the kids. No child should be left without presents on Christmas."

He locked eyes with Nicholas. The elder could see conflict behind those sparkling eyes.

"Alright. You can paint those toys there, while I make the rest. There will be sheets next the them saying what colours they need to be."

North turned away and began cutting out wood for another toy.

* * *

When he finished the toy plane, North decided to check on the unusually quiet Jack.

The boy had finished painting five or six toys and was in the middle of painting a doll house. He was bent over, tongue sticking out in concentration as he carefully painted the bricks.

North left him to it. After all, Jack needed him to make the toys so he could paint them.

* * *

Two hours later, Jack had finished painting the complete toys and had began to assist North in the making. North made the parts while Jack hammered, screwed and fused pieces together.

He felt his eyes droop close several times, but quickly resolved that by running up to the bathroom and splashing his face with cold water. He had a job to do.

* * *

Another two hours later, Jack put the finishing stroke on the last toy.

"There!" He said, impressed at how neat it had turned out. He looked up and saw North tick off the last few items on the list with a grin.

"That's all of them!" He said ecstatically.

"Finally." Jack yawned, slumping into the chair. All the building and painting had exhausted him. His eyes drifted to the clock. 7:50. They were going to leave the house at 8:35.

"Are you alright?" The albino looked up at Nicholas and gave a small grin.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

"I spent 8 years with Aster." North deadpanned. "I can tell you are lying."

The Russian expected Jack to shout at him for being nosy, or even just stomp out of the room. Instead, Jack sat there, thinking.

"If you were given two options, and you pick the bad choice, would that make you a bad person?" Jack asked, eventually.

Nicholas pondered the question. After a moment, he answered. "In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you pick right choice in first place. If you realised you made the wrong decision, then you have to be willing to make it right. If you aren't willing to change, you will be seen as bad."

Jack nodded and mumbled, "I'm gonna go, get ready."

When he left, North packed up the blueprints and was about to stuff them in his draw, when he saw a blueprint he thought he had lost years ago. He shoved it in his pocket before finishing the tidying and leaving to get ready for school.

* * *

At breakfast, everyone noticed Jack's drooping eyes and continuously dropping head. He kept snapping it back up, before it dropped again.

Aster sighed as he poured some strong coffee for the kid.

"Here." Aster said, pushing the cup towards him. "Drink it." Jack didn't have the energy to insist he didn't need it. He obediently sipped the drink, eyes widening at how strong it was. He quickly drank the rest and felt his fatigue leave him, for now.

"Didn't you sleep?" Sandy asked him, after seeing the way Jack inhaled the drink.

North answered for him. "I accidentally woke him up and he helped me make the rest of the toys."

Everyone looked between the two, not comprehending.

"Nick, can we talk for a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, Annaliese grabbed him and pulled him into the hall.

* * *

"Did he really come and help of his own free will?" Annaliese asked.

North inclined his head. "Like I said, he heard me working, and said he would help."

"Don't you think that's a little, I dunno, strange, that he helped you?"

North frowned. "He told me it was for the children, not me." North looked Annaliese in the eye. "He could come back, Anna."

"That's what we were told years ago, and he's still not here. What makes you think he's coming back now?"

"I feel it... in my belly!"

Any tension Annaliese was feeling over their lost friend was released as they both laughed before rejoining the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**Finished this while the rest of the class dissected hearts.**

 **Fun.**

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 **unknown: Here it is!**

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 **I won't keep you waiting any longer!**

* * *

Jack yawned as he slid into his seat in History. He was right at the back. Perfect time to take a quick nap.

He felt someone sit next to him, and when he turned to look, his eyesight was attacked with blinding greens, blues and yellows.

"Alacer." He grumbled. "I thought you sat at the front."

"I do." She said. "But we need a partner and neither of us have one."

"Whatever." Jack shifted in his seat, flattening his bangs over his eyes. "Wake me up at the end of the lesson."

Annaliese was about to protest, but Jack's breathing had already evened out.

She cocked her head slightly, watching as his back rose and fell in sync with his breathing.

But his face.

That was the most interesting thing.

Now that he was fast asleep, he seemed peaceful. There was even a hint of a smile playing at the edge of lips. Normally, his face would be positioned into an expression of anger or frustration. Without these emotions evident, he looked so alien compared to what Annaliese was used to seeing.

She decided to let him sleep.

* * *

"Frost!" Annaliese hissed. "Frost! Get up!"

"Hmm. Wha?" Jack blinked his eyes open, with much difficulty. "Alright." He moaned, wanting nothing more than to sleep. He tried to get up but was immediately met with a sharp pain all over. His body ached, horribly. Especially his back and neck. His eyes widened as he tried again to move from his position on the desk.

He couldn't. It hurt too much.

"Anna. What's taking so long?"

Annaliese turned to see Aster walking towards the back of the class.

"It's Jack." She explained, feeling quite worried. "He won't get up."

Aster rolled his eyes. "He's just being dramatic."

"For your information, Bunnymund." Jack wheezed. "It hurts too much to move."

Aster furrowed his brow and kneeled down beside the sore teen. He applied a little bit of pressure on Jack's back, quickly recoiling when Jack squeaked in pain.

"Annaliese, Nick has math with him next. Tell him to tell the teacher that Jack's gone to the infirmary."

Annaliese nodded and ran off.

"I'll be fine." Jack snapped.

"Where have ya been sleeping fur the past week?"

Jack was silent, refusing to answer. Aster poked him causing pain to erupt inside of him again. He scrunched his face in concentration. "Except for yesterday, I've been sleeping in the field by the lake." He finally admitted.

"What!?"

"Not so loud!" Moaned Jack.

"No wonder it hurts when ya move. Yar stiff from sleeping in the wrong position!"

No reply. Jack tried to get up, but hissed, quickly bringing his hand to the back of his neck

"Alrighty. Up ya get." As gently as possible, Aster manoeuvred Jack into his arms, holding him on his waist like a toddler. When he saw Jack's head upright, he told him, "Lie yar head on ma shoulder."

Slowly, but surely, Jack did so with little complaint.

They left the empty classroom and walked through the equally empty halls.

Aster frowned at how peaceful Jack was. It made the stress the boy went through much more clear.

He remembered when he lost his own parents. That was years ago and as he was quite young, he didn't have too many memories of them. His own sister had died a few weeks after birth, so he didn't even remember what she looked like.

But Jack had lived almost his entire childhood with them. And now they wouldn't see even see him graduate.

They arrived at the infirmary and he approached one of the nurses.

"He's been sleeping outside fur 'bout a week 'cept yesterday night. I think he's stiff from sleeping in odd positions."

The nurse sighed, nodding understandingly and indicated Aster towards one of the infirmary beds.

"Lay him down and I'll be come and look him over."

Aster nodded and carefully lay the smaller teen down. He made to step back, but Jack instantly cried out and latched on to his arm.

"Please stay." He mumbled in his sleep. Aster tried to pull his arm away from Jack again, but the albino gripped him tighter.

"Please don't leave me alone, Bunny."

Aster gasped.

* * *

 _Aster groaned as he felt someone tugging his arm. He opened his eyes and saw his brunette friend looking at him worriedly._

 _"Aster. I heard the front door bang."_

 _The Aussie groaned, closing his eyes again. "Ya're just paranoid. I live here and there's a bunch o' strange noises at night 'ere." He cracked open his eyes once more and saw the look of terror his young friend had on his face. "Alright. I'll go down and look."_

 _Aster got up and was about to go and investigate, when his friend grabbed his arm. "Please don't leave me alone, Bunny." He whispered._

 _"Nothing's gonna happen." Aster said._

 _Brown eyes locked with his green. The grip on his arm tightened. "Promise me, you won't leave me by myself. Ever."_

 _Aster wrapped him in a hug. "I promise." When he pulled away, he found the brunette asleep in his arms. He chuckled and clambered into bed with him, falling asleep with a strong arm around the brunette._

* * *

When the nurse came to check on Jack, she found Aster on the brink of tears, his arm still in Jack's possession. He saw her approach and quickly dried his eyes on his bracer.

She silently began to check Jack over.

"He needs to go home and rest." The nurse finally announced. "Staying in school will do him no amount of good."

It took a moment for Aster to remember that Jack had been put in their home. "He's staying with me and my friends..." He told her, knowing she would understand.

"I can get you an authorised absence for the rest of the day." She assured him. "Is there anyway you can get home?"

Aster thought carefully. "Well, it's not lunch yet, so North's car is still at the Warren." He mumbled to himself. "But I think Annaliese left her car here the other day."

Being as gentle as possible, Aster freed his arm from its imprisonment in Jack's cold hands.

"I'll be back." He told the nurse before quickly heading to Annaliese's Economics class.

He knocked on the door and the teacher opened the door. "If you have a problem with your homework, Aster, you're going to-"

"I need to talk to Annaliese." Aster interrupted. He needed to Jack home and soon.

The teacher raised an eyebrow but let Annaliese come out to the hall.

"Aster? What's wrong? Where's Frost?"

"He needs to go home. Did ya leave yar car here the other day?"

Annaliese nodded and pulled the keys from her pocket. "Message me at lunch."

Aster promised her he would and then left to take Jack back to the Warren.

* * *

When Jack awoke, he expected to be in the white void of the infirmary.

Instead, he found himself in a red and green room.

A Christmas and Easter room.

"Nick and Bunnymund's room." Jack realised.

He tried to get up but he stiff back wouldn't allow it. So he just lay there, wondering what had happened.

He heard the door click over and he recognised the voice, straight away. "Yar finally up."

"Whaddya mean, 'finally'?" Jack asked.

"Ya've been asleep fur 3 hours. It's 'bout lunch time at the school." Aster told him, putting a bowl of soup on the bedside table. "How'd ya sleep? Feeling any better?"

Jack groaned.

Aster couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's not funny, Bunnymund."

Aster rolled his eyes but helped the boy sit up, before popping the bowl on his lap.

Jack cocked his eye curiously. "What's this?"

"Soup. Help relax yar body."

Upon hearing that, Jack pulled a face of disgust and turned away from the steaming bowl as if it had offended him. "I'm not eating it."

"How old are ya, mate? 3? It's just soup."

"You mean poison."

Aster stared at him, as if the younger teen was a little child who was just being stubborn.

And to be truthful, he was.

"Ya haven't even tried it!" Aster said, picking the spoon and trying to shove it into Jack's mouth.

"I don't like soup." Jack informed him. "Never have, never will."

"Well..." Aster began, a coy smile playing at his lips. "We can't let so much delicious soup go to waste..."

He grabbed the spoon and brought it to his own mouth.

Jack looked pained as it got closer and closer. "If this is reverse psychology..." He hesitated, willing his pride not to get in the way. "It's working," he announced, grabbing the spoon, and quickly eating the soup before Aster could attempt to eat it again.

He groaned as the urge to throw up grew strong.

He hated soup.

Something about it just made him want to puke. Bunnymund's laughing didn't help.

"Shut up.." Jack muttered, pushing the bowl away.

As soon as Aster picked up the bowl, Jack pushed the covers off.

"Whaddya think yar doing?"

"Getting up." Jack stated simply. "Oof." The albino glared at Bunnymund, who had shoved him back into the bed.

"No chance. The nurse said you've got to stay in bed."

Jack have him the most deadpanned look he had ever seen. "Does it look like I care?"

Bunny just gave the same look back. "I don't care if you care. Ya need to rest."

"Look, I don't know about you, but I have important things to do, today."

"Yeh, like resting?!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I promised Mrs Bennett I'd babysit Jamie and Sophie."

"So I'll call Annaliese and tell her to tell Mrs Bennett."

"No need. I'll tell her myself." Jack looked around. "Where's my bag? Ah!" The albino stuck his tongue out, as the bag made contact with the side of his face. He then proceeded to ignore the Australian, in favour of opening up his messages.

 _Hey Mrs Bennett! Hope ur alright._

 _Just txting to say i cant babysit. ive had to come home with a neck cramp and im being held here against my will.._

 _Tell Jamie and sophie im sorry and that ill come over on my bday_

"Ya ain't being held here against yar will!"

Jack glared at Aster, who was looking over his shoulder.

"Yes, I am." He informed, matter-of-factly. "You won't let me go, therefore, I'm being held against my will."

"Big words, fur a small guy."

Jack rolled his eyes, knowing Aster only said that because he was a little bit taller than Jack. A ding came from his phone, stopping him from making a snarky comment.

 _Dont worry Jack. Theyll be fine. Get some rest k?_

 _Hope u get better soon xx_

Jack smiled.

 _Sure_

 _Ill see u next week_

He hesitated then added two x's under the message before sending it.

As soon as he clicked send, his phone died.

"Brilliant!" He groaned. Now he had nothing to do. But he didn't tell Aster.

"Well?"

"She told me not to worry, to get some rest, yadda yadda."

Jack tried to get up again.

"Now what?" Bunny said, exasperated.

"Downstairs, so I can get some rest."

"No way, mate. Sleeping in weird positions is what got ya inta this mess. Yar sleeping here fur the rest of tha week."

Jack sighed, resigned to his fate. "Where will you sleep, then?"

"I'll either sleep on the floor here, or downstairs."

Jack made to protest but Aster stopped him.

"I don't have time to sleep that much anyway. The holidays are here, and I have plenty of work ta do."

With that, he took the bowl and left.

Jack sighed. For people who seemed to dislike him, they cared an awful lot about his health.

 _Maybe they don't hate you._

 _Maybe it's your fault they act the way they do._

Jack couldn't think about it for long, as the doorbell rang.

A moment later, he could hear a heated argument. He could pick out bits and pieces of what was being said.

"...Another time...Last thing he needs...said to rest."

"...Urgent matter...no time to wait...tomorrow..."

Suddenly, Jack heard someone storm up the stairs. He lay down, quickly, pretending he was trying to sleep.

"Frost. Mr InMoon is here. He wants to talk to ya."

"What does he want?"

"Says it's "strictly confidential" and I'm only allowed ta stay if ya want me to."

"I know you may not like him, but the news you're about to receive...well, it may be better to have company."

Both Jack and Aster turned, just as Mr. InMoon entered the room. Jack looked skeptical. His eyes darted from the glint, of what looked like curiosity or hope, in Aster's eyes, to the solemn look Manny was giving him.

Finally he said, "He can stay."

Jack could've sworn he saw Aster give him a quick grin, like they were best friends.

 _Maybe_ _you_ _were_.

 _In_ _another_ _life._

The albino shook these strange thoughts from his mind as he and Aster turned their attention to Mr. InMoon.

He looked hesitant to speak.

When he finally did, Jack felt his whole world come crashing down.

"Your parents bodies are being transported here. Their funeral is to be held tomorrow."

Reality pulled the oxygen from him, and he barely registered people shouting his name as he fell to the ground, and the world went dark.


	13. Chapter 13

**I won't bore you with the story of my life today** **but i should let you know I** **have changed Tooth's name to Annaliese. Only because, I read a story (ROTG fanfic called For the kids(its fantastic, check it out if you haven't read it) and the author mentioned that calling her Tooth was weird. So there the reason for the change!**

 **Also, any Rainbow Snowcone/Frostbite fans will like this chapter. :D**

 **Onward!**

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 **Enjoy, my friends.**

* * *

When he finally slipped back into reality, he felt unconsciousness threaten to overtake him, once again.

"Hey! Don't faint on us again, mate. Here. Drink this."

Jack didn't refuse and eagerly took the glass, gulping down the water. While he was drinking, he looked around. He was still in Aster's bed, with the said boy at his side. He vaguely recognised the older teen pulling the glass off of him, saying something about getting hiccups.

He didn't care.

His sharp blue eyes fell on Mr InMoon. He sat on the chair belonging to Aster's desk. His silvery eyes met Jack's and the boy suddenly remembered what happened.

He had fainted after receiving the news of his parents funeral.

'I thought I fell on the floor.'

"Ya did."

Jack hummed in surprise, looking towards Bunnymund. He was grinning at the boy. "Seems yar brain-ta-gob filter ain't working."

...

"My what?"

"He means your brain-to-mouth filter." Jack looked back at Manny before his gaze dropped. Hundreds of thousands of questions stormed his mind.

But only one made past his cold lips.

"What about Flee?"

The elder sighed as if expecting this question.

"After the attack, she was sent to another hospital as the one your parents were sent to was unable to care for all of them. The hospital has replied saying her body must undergo a few more tests before being sent back to Burgess. Her funeral will probably be by New Years."

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Is that all you came to say?" He asked.

Manny held something out. It took a moment for Jack to recognise what it was.

"M-My keys?"

"I thought you may want to get something more suitable to wear, as well as look for something you may wish to bury each of your parents with."

Jack reached for them, the keyrings jingling as his hands shook. He looked to the little snowman figure, that glittered in the light. A shadow of a grin crossed his face but vanished as quick as it arrived.

Mr InMoon stood. "I'll be back around 8 o'clock to collect the keys. Jack just nodded numbly, not watching the elder leave the room.

Neither of the teens said a word until they heard the front door close.

"Ya can go with Annaliese when she gets back. I need ta head out with Nick later on."

Jack looked at him curiously. "Where are you going?"

Aster huffed. "Not that ya need ta know, but we're heading to the town over ta help bring over some orphans to the orphanage."

The older teen left, leaving a shocked Jack behind.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jack appeared downstairs and poked his head into Asters' workroom. The Australian in question was doodling, what looked like patterns on a sketchbook. In the corner of the room, there was an overflowing trashcan.

A growl was quickly followed by the scrunching of paper. The paper ball journeyed through the air and landed on top of the pile in the trashcan.

Jack coughed, gaining Aster's attention.

The tight-knitted brow loosened when he saw the albino.

"What's up?"

Jack wrung his hands, displaying his discomfort. This annoyed him. He never felt like this before he started to live with them.

Pushing this thought aside, he cleared his throat before speaking. "I was gonna go to the lake for a bit."

"Which one?"

Jack could've sworn he saw a glimmer of fear in Aster's eyes.

"The frozen one."

He clearly heard the sigh of relief.

"Alright. I'll tell Anna ta meet ya there. Then you can go ta yar house."

Jack gulped. "Could you also tell her to give Pitch my number? I forgot to get it off of him, yesterday."

Aster just nodded. "Write it down and I'll text her in a bit."

The albino quickly scribbled it down onto a piece of paper that Astèr handed to him.

He turned to leave, but the elder boy called him, stopping him in his tracks.

"And Frost? I know I ain't been kind ta ya, but I'm honestly sorry fur yar loss."

Jack shrugged. "Sure. Whatever." He quickly left for the frozen lake, leaving Aster and the conflicting feelings he was experiencing, behind.

* * *

When he got there, his phone buzzed. He mentally praised himself for remembering to charge it a bit before leaving.

He pulled it out and read a message from an unknown number.

this is pitch.

where r u?

Jack quickly typed a reply.

I wasn't well so was sent to the house to rest.

It took moments for a response.

if ur better after, u can come to see Wind

The idea of seeing his horse brought a small grin to his face. But then he remembered the events that had occurred half an hour previously.

I cant.

Jack refrained from saying anything more, hoping Pitch would overlook it. But when he looked at the one letter he was sent, he knew that it was futile hiding it.

Y?

Jack typed out a message explaining the fact that it was his parents' funeral and that he needed to find something suitable to wear.

Pitch's response was hardly what Jack expected.

P: Im sorry. Do you want me to come tomorrow?

J: i don't want to cause any trouble

P: Itll be no trouble at all. ill catch u later if u have time.

After thanking the older teen, Jack put his phone away and scrambled up the tree which hid his skates.

He tied them on quickly, launching himself into a routine he had been practising for ages.

Every blunder made him angrier than the last. He insisted on starting again every time he screwed up.

An hour later, he flopped onto the bank, full of despair. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land the first jump correctly.

Jack remembered a time similar to this when he first asked his father to teach him a routine.

* * *

 _Jack rushed into the room._

 _"Pa! Hey!"_

 _His father looked up from his laptop._

 _"Hey yourself. What's going on?" He looked at Jack who was jumping up and down excitedly. "I haven't seen you so excited since we went to watch Ice Age, last year."_

 _Jack ignored that. "Is it true!?"_

 _Jack's father closed his laptop, chuckling. "You're going to have to be more specific, my boy."_

 _"Ma said you used to skate professionally! Is it true?!"_

 _"Yes." The man answered slowly. "Why?"_

 _"Teach me a routine. Please?" He added, grinning. Jack's father frowned, and the albino felt his excitement ebb away. "What's wrong?"_

 _"I'm just worried that you'll be focussing too hard on perfecting the routine, and not have any fun doing it."_

 _The 15-year-old was confused. He sat down and asked, "What do you mean?"_

 _"Skating is like dancing. If you make it a chore, it becomes tedious and every mistake becomes frustrating. But when you take a deep breath, trust yourself that's when you start having fun." Jack's father looked at his son. "I know you love to skate so I will teach you under one condition."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Never skate out of duty. Do it because you enjoy it."_

 _Jack nodded, stood and hugged his dad. "I will. Thanks, Pa."_

* * *

The memory faded and Jack stood up, making his way back onto the ice.

When he got to the centre of the lake, he took a deep breath.

"I can do this." He mumbled, before launching into the routine with a passion that was missing from before.

Just before he made the first jump, he took another deep breath, then sped around the lake as quickly as possible. When he made it halfway around, he lept into the air and felt himself spin.

Once.

Twice.

Bile, from lack of practice and dizziness, rose in his throat.

Three times.

He let himself land then quickly glide off the ice.

Jack sat on the edge, taking deep breaths to fight the sickness he felt. Eventually, when the world righted itself and his head didn't spin, he gave an excited yell.

"I did it!"

He quickly made his way back onto the ice and did the jump over and over, not feeling as sick as the first time he executed it. He crowed happily as he did some simple moves on the ice. He laughed as the Wind swept his hair and as he sailed across the sheet of ice, he felt like he was flying.

After a little while, Jack heard a small clapping pulling him out of his reverie.

At the edge of the lake stood an awestruck Annaliese.

"Alacer?" He said, slowing to a stop in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

Annaliese pushed the dyed streaks of hair from her face, and Jack could've sworn he saw a cute little pout grace her lips, for a moment.

The thought shocked the young man. 'Did I just think that she was cute?!' All of a sudden, seeing her made him feel uncomfortably warm, despite the cool breeze blowing.

"Aster told me to take you to your home." Her beautiful (wait-what, he didn't just think that) amethyst eyes clouded in sadness. "Are you alright?"

He gulped. "I'm fine."

Her eyes travelled to the feet of the albino teenager. "Are you...skating?"

Jack couldn't help but grin cockily. "And pretty well, too!" He made a point of this by doing a simple leap in the air.

Annaliese fidgeted with her hair, nervously. "Looks fun."

"It is." He affirmed, stopping in front of her, again. After a moment... "Well, are you gonna play with your hair all day, or do you want to have a go?"

She looked shocked.

"But I have no clue how!"

Jack chuckled. "Tie your hair up, and I'll help you skate."

"I don't have a hair tie."

Jack looked at her surprised. "I thought girls always had one stashed, somewhere!"

Annaliese rolled her eyes. "Well, you're wrong. I snapped my last one the other day."

Jack nodded slowly. He then slowly approached her. "Turn around." His voice held no menace, only an unusual lightness Annaliese hadn't heard from him.

She did as he asked, and felt her breath hitch as his fingers swept over the nape of her neck to grab her hair. He carefully pulled a smaller section of hair and wrapped it around the larger section.

As he worked, Jack let his mind drift back to an event similar to this which occurred a few weeks ago.

* * *

 _"Jack, sweetie! Could you come in here a moment?!"_

 _Jack sauntered into the kitchen, flashing his mother a grin. "What's up, Ma?"_

 _Mrs Frost laughed. "Kids your age say 'Mom'." She told him jokingly._

 _"You're the one who says I have the IQ of a three-year-old kid."_

 _"You do act like that, sometimes." She admitted._

 _"Did ya need something? I was about to go to the lake to practice."_

 _"Could you tie my hair out of my face. I would do it myself but..." She indicated to her hands, which were covered in some type of batter._

 _"Sure, where's your hair tie?"_

 _"Broke it, this morning." She stated simply. "The last one, as well."_

 _Jack rolled his eyes, but, nevertheless, grabbed his mother's hair and tied it using a small section of hair. Once he secured it, he stood on his toes and put his chin on his mother's shoulder. He turned his head and pecked her on the cheek. "Love you."_

 _She turned and kissed his forehead. "Love you, too, sweetheart. Make sure you pick up Flee from Jamie's later, kay?"_

 _Jack chuckled. "Sure thing, Ma."_

* * *

"There." He stepped back. "Let me see." Annaliese turned back to him, watching as his bright blue eyes admired his work. "Just one problem." He reached out and pulled a light blue streak of hair out of the ponytail, letting frame her face. "Perfect."

He turned around, quickly, to untie his laces, and also hid the blush that was creeping up his cheeks. He didn't notice Anna's cheeks also turning a light pink.

He offered her the skates, which she took and quickly put on. "They're too big." She said, demonstrating how they didn't stay on her feet.

"Use your socks and tuck them at the back"

After a few minutes, she was finally ready.

"You don't have any skates." She pointed out as he lead her onto the ice" He looked down at his feet, his shoes the only protection from the cold surface.

"I'll be careful." He promised. "Now, start by putting one foot in front of the other."

Annaliese tried and yelped as she almost fell.

"I can't!" She cried, grabbing onto him.

"Yes, you can." He told her calmly.

"I'm going to fall." She insisted.

"I promise. You're gonna be...you're gonna be fine. Ya hafta believe in me."

* * *

" _I promise. I promise. You're gonna be...you're gonna be fine." He purposely said 'you', only able to guarantee that much. Fate would decide his future. "Ya hafta believe in me."_

* * *

Jack shook his head and began to instruct the young woman how to simply glide slowly across the ice. He was also careful to show her how to stop.

"Alright, I'm gonna let go."

"Wait, what!?"

It was too late, however, as the albino had released her, calling after her, "Remember, push yourself with your feet, twice! Then let yourself glide! Don't take your feet off the ice!"

She laughed, victoriously, as she followed his instructions. "Woo!"

Annaliese slowly glided back to Jack. "I think that's enough for one day."

She returned the ice skates, watching him shimmy up a tree to tie them out of sight.

They fell into silence as they began to leave the woods.

As they passed the lake (the unfrozen one) connected to the river, Jack recalled the action that put him where he was now.

* * *

 _Jack was at the edge of one of the lakes that resided in the forest, basically wailing._

 _"I'm sorry, Ma!" Jack hiccupped, looking like a lost child. "I'm sorry, Pa. I'm really sorry, Flee. But I've had enough! They're unbearable! I can't even find comfort in you anymore. There's no point in me being here. They told me you didn't love me and I think they're right. If you did love me, why didn't you stay with me? Bloody Manny keeps trying to get me to either go to the orphanage or a 'friends place.'" Jack scoffed. "That last one's impossible. The Big Four keep spreading rumours about me and the only attention I get is the girls fainting when I smile at them. But I can't smile anymore! I can't fight anymore! I can't live anymore!" He pulled off his hoodie, locket and got the wallet out. Using his bare hands, Jack dug a hole and shoved the items in. He covered them with the dug up dirt regretfully, mumbling to himself about 'protecting them'. "Please forgive me." He whispered as he began to wade through the lake, going deeper and deeper. He didn't hold his breath as his face was submerged._

* * *

He took a deep breath. He couldn't believe how he had let himself drown in his depression.

And how he tried to drown in the lake.

He had been in a truly dark place, then.

Jack felt numb as they left the woods, and approached his house.

'If I succeeded, who knows what would've happened to this place.'

When they were outside the front door, he pulled his keys out and they shook as his hands shook. He saw Annaliese's sympathetic gaze and looked down, angered and ashamed.

"Don't look at me like that." He growled.

"What?"

"Don't look at me like you care. You never did." He clenched and unclenched his empty fist.

Her hand hovered above his shoulder. He chanced a glance in her direction, seeing sadness cross her face.

He sighed, doing his best not flinch in anger as her hand made contact with his shoulder.

"Maybe that was the case before, but no one should have to suffer something, like this, alone."

Jack nodded and pulled out the keys. The smile on the snowman keyring seemed to mock him.

He did his best to ignore it and lifted the key to the keyhole. His hand was shaking so much, he couldn't push it through. Annaliese grabbed his hand gently, guiding the key into the keyhole.

Together, they unlocked the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Should be revising but this has been sitting here for a while, ready to post. Just had to answer reviews! Speaking of...**

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 **Sofie Rose: As if his life wan't already difficult.**

 **Guest: I was honestly thinking about it but decided not to. Better to keep you in suspense! (Also, if you decide to review more often' can you give yourself a name? Just that sometimes there's more than one 'Guest' and it gets a little confusing. Thnaks).**

 **Without futher ado, the next chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The door swung open with a 'creak' due to the lack of use over the past week. Jack blinked, as if seeing the inside for the first time.

His nose was assaulted with the smell of stuffy air and rotting apples. His hand shook as he picked up the decomposing fruit from the floor.

* * *

 _The house phone rang from the hall. Jack left his phone playing and bit into his apple before answering._

 _"Hello?"_

 _An official sounding voice answered with their own question. "Is this Jackson Frost?"_

 _He wondered why someone so important had to speak to him. "That's me."_

 _"We have some unfortunate news for you. Your parents and sister have been murdered."_

 _The apple fell from his hand as heard this. "W-what?"_

* * *

He quickly tossed it out, deciding to deal with the rest of the expired food when he finally got ownership of the house.

Jack suddenly remembered Annaliese was with him. "Wait in the living room." He told her, trying his best not to burst into tears. "I'll grab what I need and we'll get out of here."

He watched as she silently slipped into the living room. Once she was out of sight, he wandered upstairs.

Jack couldn't stop the sigh of contentment when he stepped into the familiarity of his bedroom. The light blue walls were covered in hand-painted snowflakes in an array of silvers, lighter blues and white. The ceiling was painted in a similar manner. The bed had dark blue sheets which were still overturned from when he had got up for school over a week ago. The albino walked to the cupboard, finding some blue jeans that weren't ripped yet, and a midnight blue hoodie. He quickly changed, feeling slightly disgusted for being in the same clothes for so long. He also picked up some loose trousers and an old t-shirt to wear at night for the duration of the week.

His hand shook with hesitancy as he picked up the formal suit that hung at the end, abandoned. However, this didn't stop him from groaning as he remembered he had destroyed his old tie after using it for a blindfold two years ago, for pin the tail on the donkey on Flee's birthday.

"Dad has-had some." He gulped, entering his parents' room.

The cream and black of the room made his head spin slightly. He would never be able to quickly kiss his parents goodbye before he ran to take his sister to school, again.

Jack took a deep breath, opening his father's cupboard. He found a black tie quickly amongst the sea of brightly coloured ones. He snorted when he saw the tie with an image of a baby penguin on it.

"I'm saving this for your graduation." His father had told him, affectionately replacing the tie in the cupboard.

Jack bit his lip, gently closing the cupboard before making a beeline towards the shelf. On it were two photo album. All four of the family members had one, with identical images.

"That way, if we are separated, we'll have these to remind us of our family." His mother explained, when she first made them.

One was orange, his dad's favourite colour, whilst the other was purple. The two colours, despite being so different, worked perfectly together, as his parents did.

Jack rubbed his eyes, preventing any tears. He took one last look at the room before heading downstairs.

"Let's go." He told Annaliese, after putting his night clothes, his suit and the albums in a carrier bag.

She opened her mouth to reply when her phone trilled loudly.

"Hello? Nicholas?" A confused expression appeared on her face, before she covered her mouth in realisation. "I-I completely forgot to put them in the trunk. The ink was still drying this morning and I was gonna give them to you after school and-" She was seemingly cut off by Nick. "Alright. I'll let him know. Yeah, I'll ask him, too. No problem. Alright. Alright. Bye. Bye."

"What on Earth was that all about?"

Annaliese quickly grabbed her stuff, texting someone frantically as she explained. "I forgot to put the Tooth Boxes in North's car. And some of the new orphans won't calm down." She looked up pleadingly. "Can you come? I can't hold them all by myself."

Jack hesitated.

"Please? I would ask Sandy but he's already left for the orphanage."

"Sure. We'd better get going if we want to get there soon."

"Oooo! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She quickly hugged him, catching him by surprise, before sprinting outside. Jack didn't have time to be shocked. He quickly ran out after her, locking the door and shoving the keys in his pocket. He felt the lingering warmth as he ran down the street to the Warren.

He found Tooth in her workroom, packing the little boxes into two bigger boxes.

"What are these boxes even for?"

"You put special things like photos or small objects. It helps you remember the best parts of childhood. It's good for the orphans, so they have memories of the special things that happened to keep them happy." Annaliese rapidly told him, folding the lids of the boxes and thrusting one into his arms. "Come on!"

The duo quickly went downstairs, shutting off any lights as they went. Anna quickly locked the front door, before leading in a sprint, to the orphanage.

* * *

Jack and Annaliese were greeted with sobbing children. Jack immediately felt his heart go out to them. He put his box down next to Anna and then approached two of the younger children.

"Hey! Hey!"

The two, one boy and one girl, around the age of five and seven respectively, sniffed. "Do you guys want a hug?" They nodded and he gently wrapped his arms around them, hushing them and whispering calming things. His hands automatically went to rub their backs. The two pulled away and he asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Oliver." The boy told him. "And I'm Faith."

"Well, it's nice to meet you two."

"What's your name, mister?"

Jack smirked at this, an idea forming to calm the rest of the newly arrived orphans down. When he spoke it was loud enough for all the new arrivals to hear. "Jack Frost, the spirit Lord of Winter, at your service."

"You're lying." A 10-year-old boy said, overhearing him. This quickly garnered the attention of the other 10 arrivals (13 in total, Jack counted). "Jack Frost isn't real! He's just an expression."

Jack feigned annoyance. "That's not true! That's really my name!"

"Prove it." The 10 year old challenged.

"Easy. Hey, Kangaroo!"

Aster turned abruptly, almost dropping the Tooth Boxes he was unpacking. "What!?"

"What's my name?" The albino only received a confused expression. "Just answer the question, Bunnymund."

"Jack...?"

"What about his last name?" Faith asked.

"Frost."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The Big Four and the newly arrived orphans all turned to Jack, who stood on the hood of North's car. He bowed deeply. "The one and only, Jack Frost!" He announced to the cheering of young children.

He jumped off and was immediately swarmed. "Shouldn't you be making it snow?" Oliver asked, pulling on the dark blue hoodie to get his attention.

"Well, I did but I finished early, so I thought I would come and visit you."

"You must have been all over the world!" The previously skeptical 10 year old stated in awe.

"Yep! Who wants to hear the story of the time I accidentally made a leprechaun angry by spilling paint on his jacket?"

The children quickly sat down as Jack began to fabricate the tale using his experiences with Derrick, elaborating things. Nick barked a laugh as Jack described him to be in stereotypical leprechaun clothing.

"...and the little guy punched me!"

"Did it hurt?" Oliver asked as the orphans gasped.

"Only a little." Jack assured him. He was about to continue when he heard a young child cry. He looked at Aster, who was desperately trying to calm a baby.

"Calm down, anklebiter." Aster said, holding the little boy awkwardly.

"You're going to drop him!" Jack told him, abandoning the storytelling. He grabbed the now screaming baby, cradling him gently. "Shhh... It's alright. You're safe. I've got you."

The baby quietened and gargled happily, reaching for Jack's nose. He bent his head down so the tiny fingers pinched it lightly.

"There we go, little man. That's much better, isn't it?"

"Thank you so much!" An older woman came forward, a large smile on her face. "Little Jason hasn't stopped crying since he left his last orphanage."

"Jason, huh?" Jack looked down at the brown eyes and hair. "Well, look after yourself, little man."

"Are you going?"

Jack turned to the thirteen other orphans. "Sorry, guys. But being Lord of Winter is a lot of work."

"Will you come back?" Faith asked, hazel eyes pleading.

"Umm..."

"Please!?"

"Alright. I'll come in about two days time. But you've all gotta behave yourselves, deal?" They sealed the deal by clamouring around him to give him a hug. "Hey! Careful! I don't want to drop Jason."

The kids calmed down, letting Jack hand Jason over to the orphanage worker. He waved at the baby, who gave him a toothless grin.

Eventually, Jack tore his gaze away from the happy baby and saw the other children held the little golden Tooth Boxes Annaliese had made for them. She was carefully explaining what they were for whilst Sandy listened as the children told him about nightmares they had. With Nicholas translating, he gave them each advice: leave the bedroom door open, don't tell scary stories before bed, draw an image of what makes you happy before sleeping.

* * *

Got any ideas?" The brunette asked.

He was told to draw a big picture with all the things that made him happy, and then to go straight to sleep.

When he approached his friend at school the next day, he seemed to have a huge weight taken off his shoulders.

"You're a genius! It worked!"

* * *

Jack frowned at the vision. What on Earth were they?

"Thank you, Guardians. I don't think we would've been able to look after all of them by ourselves."

The Big Four smiled, telling the worker that it was no problem, and to give them a call if she needed any more help.

"And thank you, Jack. The children loved the story."

Jack just rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh. It was nothing."

"Oh, but it was." She insisted. "Your parents would be so proud."

"Y-You knew them?"

"Oh yes. They were constant volunteers here before you started high school. And even after they stopped to spend more time at home with you, they still sent donations regularly. This orphanage may not have been here today, if it wasn't for their generosity."

Jack stood there, mouth agape.

"Well, we better get going." Aster informed the woman. She smiled warmly, nodding in understanding. All five of them got into the Sleigh quietly.

* * *

 **He could hear a baritone voice laughing, almost mockingly. "Don't be afraid, Jack." Jack turned, spotting a silhouette on a bridge in the distance. He leapt like he was flying. The figure continued. "I'm not gonna hurt you."**

 **Jack slid neatly onto the bridge, a weapon, akin to a shepherd's crook, pointing at the taller person. "Afraid?" He asked, disbelief lacing his voice. "I'm not afraid of you."**

 **Up close, Jack noticed the figure was wearing all black, like his hair. He didn't stop walking and Jack followed, crouched in a battle stance. "Maybe not. But you are afraid of something."**

 **"You think so, huh?"**

 **The figure chuckled. "I know so! It's the one thing I always know: people's greatest fears." He turned, letting Jack see his eclipse coloured skin and glowing golden eyes. "Yours is that no one will ever believe in you." His shadow suddenly grew, covering Jack, who fell through the bridge and was transported into another dark corridor. The figure didn't stop laughing at Jack's confusion. The albino shouted in pain as he landed on the cobblestone floor. He began a frenzied scramble with one aim in mind: get the hell out!**

 **As Jack tried to escape, the man spoke. "And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why-why you?" Jack could feel the man stare at him as he bounded off into the dark, only to be blocked by another wall. Dread pumping through his veins, he turned to face the man - petrified. "Why were you chosen? To be like this. Well, fear not, for the answer to that…is right here." The grey hands held out a golden box. A Tooth Box. And...and it had his face on it, albeit the hair and eyes were brown but it was him, nonetheless. "Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?"**

 **It was so tempting. Too good to be true. He reached for the box but suddenly pulled his hand back. _Why are you hesitating?! The answers are there!_ The figure laughed as he vanished again, leaving Jack to try and find him through the bird cages. Jack could hear twittering and as he flew, he noticed tiny green figures in the cages.**

 **The person formed his body shape out of Jack's shadow. "Everything you wanted to know - in this little box." His laugh echoed. Apart from his words, it was the only thing Jack could hear. Mocking and victorious. Jack gave chase, desperate. "Why did you end up like this? Unseen, unable to reach out to anyone - you want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them, but you're afraid of what the Guardians will think. You're afraid of disappointing them. Well let me ease your mind about one thing: they'll never accept you, not really-"**

 **Jack found himself by a dark globe of the Earth, little lights on it flickering. He groaned, clutching his head, finally finding his voice. "Stop it, stop it!"**

 **But he didn't stop. Didn't listen to the pleas. "After all, you're not one of them." He appeared from the shadows once more, backing Jack up against the dark globe.**

 **Jack shook as he pointed the crook at him. "You don't know what I am!" He told the man defiantly.**

 **"'Course I do! You're Jack Frost! You make a mess wherever you go - why you're doing it right now." He tossed the box into Jack's hands. The arm holding the staff falls to his side as he stares that the gold, reminding him of the eyes of the man in front of him.**

 **Jack looked up, horrified. "What did you do?" He whispered.**

 **The man spread his arms out as he backed into the shadows. "More to the point Jack, what did you do?" He cackled propelling Jack to run forward. The darkness eagerly pressed in on him and he felt hands on him, holding him tightly. He couldn't escape.**

 **Jack screamed as the darkness overwhelmed him.**

* * *

"No!"

His vision was momentarily blurred. He felt someone rub his eyes for him. When his vision cleared, he realised it had been tears in his eyes. It took a moment to remember he was in Aster's bed. He found said person in front of him, holding a tissue. Jack felt the pressure on his shoulders and panicked until he noticed it was Nicholas.

"Mate, are you alright?"

"Get off me." Jack groaned. He gently lay back down, only just discerning that he had been forced into a sitting position. "It was just a dream. Just a bad dream." He mumbled, bringing his shaking hand up to push his hair out of his face. He could feel their worried gazes on him. He shivered, remembering those golden eyes watching his struggle to escape.

Eventually, he sat back up. "What time is it?"

"That is why Aster was in here." Jack looked to the Australian, particularly the suit he was wearing. North wore a similar one. "The funeral is in hour."


	15. Chapter 15

**Had my IT exam yesterday and was today told that some of the questions were from the unit I'm meant to do next year. Urgh! But, after much work, i finally present the next chapter!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Yellowmiki98: Alas, my dear friend, your ideas are for naught! Fear not, however, as the truth shall be revealed very soon.;D**

 **Enjoy, my friends.**

* * *

They sat in silence around the table, nursing cups of tea or coffee. Jack stared at the brown liquid for a moment, before getting up and pouring it away.

No one stopped him.

He left the room, only inclining his head a fraction when North told him they would be leaving in 10 minutes.

Jack sat on the front step, the flowers dulled as if mourning with him. The normally soothing wind was, instead, a harsh reminder that his family could no longer feel it, anymore.

For a minute, he just sat there, soaking up all the colours and smells and sounds and even the texture of the step he sat on.

Jack started humming.

It was vague. he didn't know the words or where he learnt it from but when the Big Four came out a little later, he seemed to be a little more at peace.

* * *

He was going to give a eulogy. he had confirmed it with Manny last night when he came to take back the keys.

"It would be wrong not to." The albino had simply stated.

But as the Sleigh got closer and closer to its destination, he began panicking.

There would be so many people there. His father had been a police investigator and his mother was an active figure when it came to the Burgess education and health systems.

Cops, teacher and doctors alike would show up. Not to mention their multitude of friends.

"What if I screw it up?"

The sentence wasn't meant to be spoken. So Jack understandably jumped at the sudden sound.

Sandy, who sat beside him, silently patted his arm and gave him a reassuring nod. No words, or signs, were needed to convey the message.

 _"Everything will be fine."_

"Sandy is right." Nick told him, looking at the albino using the rearview mirror. "No need for the worrying."

"I hope so."

* * *

When Jack got out of the car, he was greeted by Pitch.

"Hey, Pitch." He said shyly. "You really didn't have to come."

"What type of friend would that make me?" Goldish eyes peered at him in worry.

* * *

 **The figure didn't stop laughing at Jack's confusion. The albino shouted in pain as he landed on the cobblestone floor. He began a frenzied scramble with one aim in mind: get the hell out!**

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Jack blinked before realising he had spaced out.

"Sorry. Caught up in my thoughts."

"Understandable in our circumstances. I was asking if you want to see Wind, later? That is, if you're well."

The albino smiled, for the first time that day. "That sounds like exactly the break I need."

Pitch opened his mouth the speak, but Manny, who had just arrived, informed the young men that the funeral was about to begin. Jack looked down at the purple and orange albums he had been carrying.

It was time.

* * *

When he stood, at first he was nervous. There were more people that he had anticipated.

"Just breathe."

The sound of his mother's voice was so clear, for a moment he thought she was beside him.

"You'll be fine, Jack." His father's voice said.

He took a deep breath in, then took the plunge.

"I didn't think I'd be here today, giving this speech. I thought I'd be joking with my dad, at my little sister's expense, my mum telling us to leave her alone. But, things change. As I speak, every moment we're here, someone is born and unfortunately, someone passes away, changing someone else's life."

He paused, looking to already see tears in many people's eyes. Pitch caught his attention and nodded. He took another breath.

"My father was a passionate man. Whether it be a difficult case at work, trying to teach me a new skating manoeuvre or attempting to cook a semi-edible meal, he gave it his all. Except cooking. It was an unspoken rule to keep him away from the kitchen at all costs."

He earned a few chuckles with that comment

"He was a joker. He lived every day happily. And if he was here now, he'd say what he always told me. 'To be sad is to smile at the end and say to yourself 'It'll be okay.''"

Jack stopped, just to recompose himself. He spotted Mrs Bennett giving him a proud watery smile.

"My mother was the more level-headed one. She was an artist, amongst other things, and her creativity shone brightly, every day, without fail. But I think her best quality was her empathy and understanding. When I came home after a particularly bad day of school-" Here, he saw the Big Four wince. "-she'd let me have a small tub of ice cream, emphasis on the small, in the darkness if my room. She understood that the simplest things were sometimes the most important, the most defining. More often than not, she'd offer me small comforts: a quick hug, a story as she cooked, a meal I enjoyed...because she put us first. Put me first."

It was here that Jack's voice began to quake, as tears slowly dripped down his face.

"I know parents aren't meant to have favourites but it was obvious in my family. My dad was closer to my sister, and Ma was closer to me." Tears fell faster as he reminisced the times when his mom would bring hot chocolate into his room when he was studying at night, in the winter. More often than not, it lead to a good gossip as well as mother-son bonding time.

He closed his eyes, pushing back the tears so he could compose himself again.

"Tonight, when you go home, find your children, parents, siblings, significant others or even pet." He added the last one, remembering the empty darkness of Pitch's apartment. "Find them, hold them close and tell them how much you love them. Let them know how much they mean to you."

Sounds of his rushed goodbyes in the panic of lateness flooded his ears. The last time he saw them.

"Because you never know when reality will hit."

Nick went to bring Jack from the spotlight but Pitch beat him to it. With the help of the older boy, Jack shakily sat down, a single tear visible.

Pitch offered him a tissue. He accepted, ignoring the glares the Big Four were giving Pitch. Yes, he had been getting friendlier with them but they had no right to judge who he was friends with.

"Do you think it was okay?" Jack asked as one of his father's close friends stood to speak.

Pitch lightly squeezed his shoulder. "It was perfect."

As Jack looked down at his shaking hands, a small voice in his head told him that Pitch meant what he said.

* * *

Everyone had left some time ago. Pitch had told him to send a text when he wanted to see Wind. Jack had just nodded mutely.

Now, he just sat on a bench, in front of the freshly buried graves. In his mind, memories, good and bad, flickered. His lip twitched when he realised many of the memories contained someone calling him.

 _"Jack! Leave your sister alone!"_

 _"Jack! You'll never believe who was behind the thefts!"_

 _"Jack! Help me practise my speech for the medical convention!"_

 _"Jack!? I think I've burnt a hole in your mother's dress!"_

 _"Jack! I'm scared!"_

"Ahh!" He fell off the bench in surprise at the voice. It was the one from his dream two nights ago. When he first arrived at the Warren.

Not bothering to get back onto the bench, Jack sat in the snow, scrunching his eyes tight. An image of his sister filled his mind. She was looking at him, terror on her face and fear making her voice tremble.

"Jack!"

This voice startled him as it was neither memory of his parents nor the vision of his sister.

He stood and turned to see Nicholas approaching him.

"Is bad to stay in cold for so long."

Jack's gaze cast downwards. "I know."

Nick put an arm around his shoulders. Jack didn't push him away.

"What is wrong."

It was now, or never.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, half hoping he wasn't heard.

"What for?!" Nick said indecorously. "We have terrorised you for many years. If anyone should be apologising, it should be us!"

Jack shook his head. "I have no idea why you had something against me but I should have been grateful you let me stay with you. Instead, I've been acting like a spoiled brat."

North was stunned at this sudden maturity. "I-we-"

He was cut off by a shout. The two looked up and saw Derrick approaching with a pair of his cronies.

"Well, it isn't the Mommy's boy!"

"Have ya got nothing better ta do, mate?!" Aster, Sandy and Anna arrived, all looking angered. Jack heard Nick crack his knuckles beside him.

"What's it to you, Bunnymund? Thought you hated Frost as much as I do."

Annaliese spoke up. "That doesn't give you any right to be disrespectful." She snapped.

Derrick's eyes drifted over the formal clothing they were wearing. "Oh!" He said, nodding his head in understanding. He exchanged a sly look with his two companions. "The funeral was today."

"Why does it concern you?" Nick questioned, watching the trio carefully.

"Well, I - we wanted to pay our...respects." He peered over Jack's shoulder. "If you could just let us past..."

The three shoved their way past. Jack scowled as he knew what they meant by 'respect'. He scanned the area, spotting a long patch of ice, a long stick and a tree full of snow. He pulled off his jacket and tie, handing them silently to Sandy. The Big Four watched him curiously.

Using the long patch of ice, Jack slid in front of Derrick, grabbing the long stick along the way.

"Not so fast, Derrick." He spoke calmly, but the boys didn't notice the steely glint in his eyes. He began to walk forward, forcing the horrid trio to move back. I suggest you leave my parents in peace."

"And if I don't? What's a scrawny shit like yourself gonna do?"

Jack gave him a look of disbelief. Yes, he was skinny, but he was also a solid 4 inches taller; a towering 5"11 over Derrick's 5"7.

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do..." He took another step forward, forcing the boys to reverse. He suddenly grinned. "I'm gonna tell a joke."

Derrick scoffed, looking at his mates in amusement.

"Hey, Sandy!"

The shorter male handed Jack's stuff to Aster before signing.

 _"What's up?"_

"Knock, knock!" As Jack said this, he smacked the stick against the tree beside Derrick and his friends.

 _"Who's there?"_

"Snow."

 _"Snow who?"_

Jack's gaze flashed upwards before he said, "Snowbody important." As soon as he spoke, the snow came crashing down from the branches.

The albino opened his locket and faced the image to the scene. "Hey, Flee? Doesn't this remind you of something?" He paused as if the image was actually talking. "Yeah, it does look like the snowman dad ran over last Christmas, doesn't it." He chuckled, ignoring Derrick's threats.

"I swear, when I get out of here-"

"You'll do nothing." Jack interjected. He crouched down. "I can - and will - report you if anything happens to my family's graves. And if you come after me, ill make sure you don't leave unscathed."

Derrick snarled, spitting at Jack's feet as he tried to get out of the snow.

"For a little-"

"You're as short as your temper, Derrick." Jack said with an air of finality in his voice.

He got his stuff from Aster, who suggested they "blow this joint."

The others agreed. On the way back to the car, he texted Pitch to say he would meet him in an hour.

"I'll be waiting. We need to talk."


	16. Chapter 16

**Just had my last English Lit exam which may nor may not make or break my final grade...**

 **Fun!**

 **So, my friend from school is reading this and she really likes it. I was going to update You Cannot Refuse Destiny but she wanted me to update this. Happy now, Mary?! (BTW, that's not her real name).**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Yellowmiki98: Of course not. You were just getting frustrated! And no, the speech was created by me whilst i was basically half-asleep. Pfft! Who needs sleep!? (Promptly turns, falls down and knocks myself out) Just kidding!**

 **I can't believe how many people told me they cried/were about to cry reading Jack's eulogy! I thought it wasn't that good! You lot changed my mind about that!**

 **So thank you and enjoy this chapter (I thought I should let you guys know the next two chapters contain all the action and there's not much left of this story).**

* * *

Jack changed into the dark blue hoodie and jeans, leaving only an "I'll be back by dinner," in his wake. It wasn't a long journey to the stable but Jack milked the pace for all its worth.

He had some idea what Pitch wanted to talk about: the Big Four. They had yet to discuss how to exact revenge for the years of torment. Yet despite thinking this was long overdue, Jack felt hesitant. He had been getting closer to them, growing something akin to companionship with North and Sandy, whilst also being on polite terms with Annaliese now. Heck! Even the Kangaroo was making an effort, giving up his bed and caring for the stiff albino.

 _'Don't fall for this stupid cliche._ ' He reminded himself mentally. A few days of niceties didn't erase the years of emotional scars.

And after all, if he didn't act soon, it was possible that they would revert to their old ways.

 _'A warning. That's what you need to give them. Then you can go back to your home and live the rest of your life happily.'_

"Earth to Jack! Is anyone in there?"

Jack blinked, to see long fingers snapping in front of his face. Pitch sighed in exasperation.

"I'm beginning be think this is a common habit of yours."

Jack shrugged meekly, saying "Just got caught up in my thoughts."

Pitch just rolled his eyes.

The two walked the length of the field in companionable silence.

When they arrived at the stables, Wind saw Jack and gave a happy snicker. He laughed lightly, stroking her muzzle.

"Hey, girl! Did you miss me?"

She lightly butted her head in his hands. Jack smiled, then turned to Pitch. "Can we go for a ride?"

Pitch agreed, getting Obsidian saddled up. The dark horse's yellowish eyes seemed to narrow at the sight of Jack. Said albino stuck his tongue out in return.

"Did you just...stick your tongue out at my horse?!"

"She narrowed her eyes at me!"

"She's a horse. Even if she did, she wouldn't know what it implies."

Pitch turned to get the reins and when he did, Obsidian seemed to smirk. Jack scowled momentarily before hoisting himself onto Wind's back. They trotted out to wait for Pitch.

When he eventually came out, the two rode quietly, alongside each other. No one spoke for what felt like the longest time.

After a few more minutes of silence, Jack spoke up. "You said you needed to talk to me about something?"

"Yes. Since our...acquaintanceship began, we haven't actually discussed what course of action we could take. I was thinking, since you've been living with them, you must have picked up something we could use to our advantage." Jack doesn't reply. "Jack?"

"Well, they all do a bunch of stuff for the kids in the orphanage."

"I know what Bunnymund and Alacer do. The former runs a little hunt every Easter and the latter makes boxes for memorable objects."

Jack blinked. Aster's hunts were common knowledge since the other Burgess kids joined in. The albino gently touched the locket he wore, remembering seeing the picture of Aster with his little sister.

However, Jack had only discovered what Anna did the day previous. How did his friend know?

Pitch either didn't notice or ignored the thoughtful expression on Jack's face. He made Obsidian trot faster as he asked. "What about the others?"

"Well, North makes toys as Christmas presents-"

"We could find a way to ruin the toys. Scrap the paint, chip the wood..."

"I don't think we can. He and Bunnymund took the toys yesterday, so the workers at the orphanage can give them out on Christmas."

Jack neglected to mention he had lost a night of sleep helping and didn't want to see his hard work go up in smoke. He also thought it wise not to talk about how he helped the Four at the orphanage, yesterday.

"What about Sanderson?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I know it has something to do with the map of the Earth he has all over his walls. But I haven't discovered what."

"Well, I wanted to take advantage of you living there, currently, so sabotaging the Australian's hunt isn't an option. And since we have no clue about Mansnoozie, that only leaves the group's twittering fairy."

"Umm..." Jack was about to suggest they wait for the hunt because he wouldn't be suspected, but Pitch's face lite up as he yanked on the reins to stop Obsidian.

"I've got it!"

"What?"

"I've overheard that Alacer keeps loads of those boxes spare and also keeps some people's boxes safe for them."

"And?" Where was Pitch getting with this?

"She keeps them at their house. We could sneak in and steal them! Shake them up, scare them."

"I dunno..." Jack didn't like this idea at all. "They'll work out that I had something to do with it. After all, they mysteriously disappear whilst I'm living with them? It's dodgy."

Pitch huffed. "Don't be an idiot! We'll do it when no one's at home. You can pretend to be somewhere else and leave a window open without them knowing. Then we'll take the boxes and hide them for a bit. When they're sufficiently worried, we'll give them a note telling them where they are."

Pitch looked triumphant and Jack felt his heart sink. This meant so much to Pitch, could he really say no?

"I'll...I'll think about it." Before his friend could say more, he urged Wind into a gallop, hoping that the adrenaline rush would help him make a decision.

* * *

It was 7:30 when he returned to the Warren. No one spoke to him as he wandered upstairs to put his phone on charge. He had a quick shower before joining them at the dinner table.

Sandy had cooked the meal: quesadillas.

He handed Jack a plate with a smile and after a minute or two, everyone was chatting away about plans for the holidays. With Christmas fast approaching North insisted they go out to get a tree, the next day.

"It's criminal we don't have one, yet!" He cried, earning a laugh from his friends. Nick noticed Jack poking his food quietly, a downtrodden expression adorning his face. "You can come, too, Jack!"

The albino looked up, gave him a small smile, before leaving the room. He hadn't eaten a thing.

* * *

He sat on Aster's bed, staring at Pitch's contact on his phone.

"This is exactly what he wanted." Jack mumbled to himself. "I should tell him."

Yet, he continued to stare.

Stealing was wrong! Wouldn't he be as bad as the bullies if he carried this out?

Before he could make a choice a message popped on-screen.

 _P: Do you know if they'll be busy soon?_

 _J: Yeah. They're going tree shopping tomorrow._

 _P: Perfect! Make an excuse so they'll think you'll be away all day then meet me by the frozen lake._

 _J: Ok._

He fell back against the pillows.

All he could do now was wait.


	17. Chapter 17

**This has actually be finished for a while but exams are over and I wanted to take a small break. And then when I tried to finish it off, the internet at school stopped working and I didn't have time at home.**

 **I've also been watching the Marvel movies and can't believe that I didn't watch them before.**

 **Enough rambling! We'll do the reviews and I'll let you read this chapter.**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Sofie Rose: I have a feeling you won't enjoy this chapter much.**

 **Mary: Glad you like it but stop embarrassing me!**

 **Midnight: You're closer than anyone else has gotten. I screamed when I read your theory.**

 **Get ready to watch everything go up in flames!**

* * *

Jack's first thought when he awoke the next day was that it was far too early to even think about moving. That thought was quickly overwhelmed with the guilt of what he planned to do later in the day.

As his senses began to kick in, he heard joyous laughter, probably from downstairs. He could hear the smile in Nick's booming guffaw and the happiness in Anna's twinkling giggles.

He felt an ache in his chest, where his heart was. How he wished he could be part of such camaraderie.

Jack just lay there, listening. It was like the sounds were on loop.

Muttering, laughter, silence, repeat.

He listened to this loop longer than intended, imagining how that loop would be different come nightfall.

Crying, shouting, pain, repeat.

' _No turning back_.' He thought, finally gathering the will to start his day. After washing his face, he grabbed his backpack and phone, and ambled downstairs.

He wandered into the living room, expecting the group to be there. However, he is met with an unusual sight. The sofas were still pushed together like a makeshift bed, and on them lay Aster. It was obvious he had fallen asleep sketching, if the pencil in his hand and the sketchbook by his face were any indication. Blankets had haphazardly been chucked on to him, enough to prevent him from getting cold but they barely passed his waist. The peculiar sight that caught Jack's attention was neither the strange placement of blankets, nor the sketchbook and pencil.

Chairs and tables had been placed around the sofas and on each one was a speaker. Looking around, he spotted a phone next to one and the golden case indicated it was Sandy's.

He entered the kitchen where Sandy, Anna and Nick were chatting and laughing. Sandy was the first to notice his presence.

" _Hi, Jack! How are you feeling, today?"_

Jack felt the guilt tumble over him but his face did nothing to signify his inner turmoil.

In sign, he responded with a lopsided grin. " _Better. What's with the speakers in the living room?"_

Sandy tapped his nose with a mischievous smile. " _That's for me to know and you to find out."_

Jack slumped into one of the empty chairs. "You've peaked my interest."

"Jack! Will you come with us to pick the tree?"

Jack hesitated before he answered. "I...I had plans. I'll probably go hang out with Jamie and his group..." A feeble excuse but one that worked well. The others nod in understanding. And he hates the acceptance. They hated each other! Neither party should trust the other! "Besides..." He begins, intending to fuel the previous distrust. "It's not like I'll be stuck with you guys for Christmas."

He expected glares, hateful comments, something! Instead, all he gets are hurt expressions.

He feels the ache in his chest, again. He looks down at his chest in confusion. Before he can contemplate his body's strange reaction, Anna says, "Could somebody wake Aster, please?"

Sandy grins and, with one finger, beckons Jack to follow. Despite the small conversation that just occurred, Jack complied, knowing he'd get his answer to the strange living room set-up.

He stood in the doorframe and watched as Sandy turned on his phone, pressing something.

Immediately, the speakers belted out, " **On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pair tree!** "

Jack struggled to hold back his laughter as Aster shot out of 'bed' with a strangled cry. "What the bloody hell...!?"

Sandy and Jack ran back into the kitchen, ducking behind chairs as Aster chased them with a cushion.

"I'll show ya for waking me up with Christmas songs!"

"You'll have to catch us first!" Jack cackled, yelping when the cushion rocketed towards his face. He ducked and the yell that followed told him Anna had been hit instead.

"Oh, it is on!"

Soon, they were running up and downstairs, separating into teams. Annaliese, Nicholas and Aster on one, Sandy and Jack on the other.

Jack and Sandy were currently hiding in Sandy's room. Once again, the world map caught his interest. Jerking a finger towards Australia, which was closest to where he was, he asked, "Yo, Sandy! What's this for?"

Sandy grinned, signing, " _It's complicated._ "

Jack plopped onto the bed, listening as Nick, Aster and Anna ransacked the house trying to find them. He nodded in the direction of the door then patted the space beside him. "We have time."

Sandy sat down and began to explain. " _The notes are all about local traditions or customs. I want to be an oneirologist._ " At Jack's scruched nose, he elaborated. " _An oneirologist is someone who studies dreams. Lots of kids in the orphanage suffer nightmares and I've been trying to find an effective way of stopping them and letting the kids sleep peacefully. I thought that maybe traditions or events they celebrated when their parents were alive might be a good way to start._ "

"That's why you were giving the kids advice, yesterday!" Jack said, making the connection. "That's so cool!"

Sandy smiled. He was about to say something when his phone pinged with a message. As he picked it up, the other three burst into the room.

Jack would forever deny the squeak he gave when he fell off the bed. ("It was a manly yell, Aster. I swear!")

"Victory is ours!" Aster yelled as he began to tussle with Jack.

Sandy waved his arms, getting Nick's attention. The latter bellowed for the boys to stop, allowing Sandy to tell everyone that he had to go to work because someone wasn't well.

"Are you sure someone else can't fill in?" Anna asked.

Sandy shook his head. " _There's always next year._ "

Anna sighed. "Yeah. I guess you're right." She looked at the time and left the room, telling Nick and Aster to get ready to go. Jack was about to leave when Sandy grabbed his arm.

" _I need to tell you something and i don't think the others would be very happy if I told you._ "

A bewlidered expression crossed Jack's face. "What could you possibl-" He was cut off by his phone ringing. When he pulled it out, he saw Pitch's name light up the screen. "Uh...l've really got to go. Could you tell me later?"

" _It'll have to be tomorrow then. My shift is until 10._ "

"Oh...Alright, then. See you tomorrow." Jack left the house, knowing Sandy would tell the others he was leaving. But not before he opened the handle of the living room window, to be pried open later. When he was outside his own house, he called Pitch back.

" **Took you long enough.** "

"Hello to you, too." Jack drawled.

" **Don't get cheeky with me. Did they believe your excuse?** "

"Y-yeah, they did."

" **What exactly did you tell them?** "

"That i was going to Jamie's place."

" **And if they ask the boy, he'll tell them you didn't turn up.** "

"Which is exactly why I'm going to see him, right now."

Jack heard a frustrated sigh. " **Hurry up, then. Be at my place by 12.** "

"Sure." Before Pitch could say anymore, Jack hurriedly turned the phone off.

He arrived at the Bennett household in minutes but, instead of knocking on the door, Jack snuck around to Jamie's room. He lightly rapped on the window, hoping Jamie would be quick.

The boy didn't fail him, opening the window in excitement. "Jack!"

"Shhh!" He told Jamie, looking pointedly at the door. He quickly ducked under the bed when Mrs Bennett walked in.

"Jamie? Who are you talking to?"

"Umm..." He glanced at his bed. "Jack Frost?"

His mother chuckled, leaving the room. "Okay. Tell Jack i said 'hi'."

"No problem, Mom! You can come out, now."

Jack crawled out, rubbing his head. "Ow. I hit my head under the bed."

Jamie laughed at his friend's pain. "By the way, Mom said 'hi'."

"Ahahaha." Jack drawled sarcastically. "You're so funny."

"How are you, Jack?" Jamie's voice softened, scared of upsetting Jack with his next comment. "Mom told me the funeral was yesterday."

Jack smiled, but it was pained. "I'm alright." At Jamie's pointed look, he raised his hands in surrender. "I swear!"

After another moment, Jamie looked away. "Alright. So...why did you come from the window and hide from Mom? She would've let you stay."

Jack bit his lip. This was the hardest part: asking if Jamie would lie for him. "You know how I'm staying with Sandy and his friends?"

"Yeah..." Jamie said slowly.

"Just...if they ask you, tell them I was with you today."

"Why?"

"Please, Jamie?"

The boy looked at the teen, seeing the desperation in Jack's eyes. "Okay. But, whatever you're doing, be careful."

Jack was stunned when Jamie captured him in a hug. It took a minute for him to return it. "I-I will."

Jamie pulled away. "Can you at least tell me where you will be?"

"At the frozen lake." Jack answered quickly, embarrassed at how easily he lied to his friend. "If it makes you feel better, I'll pop around to visit you once later on."

The smile he received was almost blinding.

After chatting for a few more minutes, he left (through the window again) and glanced at the time.

He strode with purpose. He had made a decision and, no matter how much it pained him, he was going through with it.

* * *

Jack stepped out of the car, outside the Warren. He shoved his shaking hands in the pocket of the hoodie, just as Pitch came around from the driver's side. "Which window did you leave open?"

"A-are you..." Jack sucked in a deep breath. "Are you sure we have to do this?"

Pitch gazed at Jack curiously. "You're afraid." He said simply.

Jack scoffed. "Of you? No way."

"But you are scared of something."

"You think so, huh?" Jack asked, not expecting the answer he got.

"You're afraid of what the Four will think if they find out you were one of the ones behind it."

Jack gulped. It was scarily accurate.

"You're afraid of disappointing them." Jack tried to protest but Pitch refused to let him speak. "They'll never accept you, not really. You know that, right, Jack?"

* * *

 **Mocking and victorious. Jack gave chase, desperate. "Why did you end up like this? Unseen, unable to reach out to anyone - you want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them, but you're afraid of what the Guardians will think. You're afraid of disappointing them. Well let me ease your mind about one thing: they'll never accept you, not really-"**

 **Jack found himself by a dark globe of the Earth, little lights on it flickering. He groaned, clutching his head, finally finding his voice. "Stop it, stop it!"**

 **But he didn't stop. Didn't listen to the pleas. "After all, you're not one of them."**

* * *

Jack shuddered. "Let's just get this over with." He led Pitch to the window, prising it open. He was the first to clamber through. Almost on reflex, he pulled up his hood, shadowing his face from view.

"I believe it's this way." Pitch took the lead and with every step, Jack felt the guilt piling up slowly. He watched as Pitch found the door that led to the basement and the two descended the stairs.

"Woah!" Jack couldn't help but gasp. In this room was more than just a few Tooth Boxes. Piles of wood and metal, boxes of paints and glitter, and so many different faces staring from the side of the Tooth Boxes.

"Impressive." Jack stifled a laugh at the pained sound in Pitch's voice.

He certainly agreed. The sight was one to behold. However, it only served to make Jack more upset.

As Pitch started grabbing the Tooth Boxes and shoving them into a spare box, Jack summoned all of courage and grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"We're not doing this."

"Scared?" Pitch taunted, trying to pull his hand away. But when Jack's grip tightened, he looked up to see the cold determination in his blue eyes.

"This is wrong. We can get revenge some other way. Not like this. We're not getting the kids involved."

To Jack's surprise, Pitch started laughing. "You believe doing this will gain their respect? If they don't reject you now, they'll reject you in the future." Pitch smirked when Jack's hold loosened. "Besides, why would you want the respect of those who have been hiding the past from you?"

Jack let go completely. "What?"

Pitch held up a box that had been hidden at the back. Jack's breath got caught in his throat when he saw a picture of himself on the end.

"Everything you wanted to know, in this little box."

Jack staggered backwards when Pitch offered it to him, bumping into some shelves.

"Ow!" He looked down to see what had fallen on his head and found he couldn't breathe. It was a long stick, a head taller than he was. It was curved like a shepherds crook and when he grabbed it, visions painfully flashed in his mind.

* * *

 _He opened his box, his eyes half closed. They widened the moment he saw his present. It was a long stick, shaped like a shepherds crook. It was much taller than him but he balanced it easily in his hands._

* * *

 _"Forgive me. Of course you're not." He grabbed his staff, which he always carried with him (except in school) and grabbed his sister's hand. "What do you wanna play?"_

 _"Hopscotch!"_

 _"Come on then!"_

 _She laughed happily as they walked outside._

* * *

 _"Alright, now it's your turn." His voice became a whisper as he put all his concentration on his next move. "One. That's it. Two. Three! Argh!" He yelled, hooking the crook around her and using all his strength to get them to swap places. She was now on safe ice. They sat up and laughed. He got up to go and see if she was alright. But the ice had had enough. It gave way underneath him and he was plunged into the icy depths below._

 _"Jack!"_

* * *

"Jack?" Through blurry eyes, Jack looked up to see a worried look on Pitch's face.

"Please..." He pleaded. "I need it."

"Help me with the boxes first, Jack."

"Please don't make me do this, Pitch." But when Pitch never answered, Jack knew it was futile. He started packing with a resigned sigh, never letting go of the stick.

When the first box was full, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Take it to the car and wait. I'll bring the other box." Jack resisted demanding for his Tooth Box and, instead, did as told.

Jack had no idea how much time had elapsed since he sat in the car, but when he awoke it was because Pitch was shaking his arm gently.

"Jack? You can't sleep in the car. Rest inside."

"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes and saw they were outside Pitch's apartment building. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get inside and rest."

Jack shook his head. "I need to go."

"Go where?"

Jack felt the urge to cry as he thought of what he done. What would his parents have thought if they discovered what he had done? What about Flee? Would she have still loved her older brother, or would she have rejected him?

But Jack was tired of crying. Tired of not being in control of the happenings of his life. First the accident, then being put with the Big Four and now being blackmailed into stealing. Even if they were going to give them back, Jack still felt awful.

"Somewhere that's not here." Jack wiped away the growing tears and instead snarled, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him.

"Wait!"

"What!?" Jack jumped and dropped the stick when something came flying towards him: his Tooth Box.

"When they find out about the boxes being missing, let me know and I'll find a way to give them back."

Jack just growled at the mention of the stolen boxes. He shoved his own in his pocket, grabbed the stick and stormed off.

* * *

As he made his way back to the Warren, he felt his anger cool off and he pulled out the box. It was evidently older than the others, made of cardboard instead of metal. The gold paint was chipped in places, but all in all, in good condition. The picture of him had brown hair and brown eyes. His blue eyes flickered up to the white hair that fell over his brow.

Maybe this would kickstart his memories. Maybe this box contained the answers to the Four's strnage behaviour. Despite this, he felt conflicted. The way he aquired the box was wrong. He'd stolen it.

' _Who's memories are in it though?_ ' Jack's mind helpfully asked.

It wasn't wrong. It was his right the have the box.

But before he could make a decision, he found himself outside the Warren. He frowned when he heard shouting inside.

He rapped on the door and it swung open to reveal a distressed Nick.

"Jack! Where have you been-oh..."

Jack followed Nick's gaze and felt his heart drop when he saw he still held the Tooth Box and staff in his hands.


End file.
